ABSTRACT
Prior to 1980, physicians in the United States believed that the only safe way for a person with a prior cesarean section to give birth was to have a cesarean delivery in all future pregnancies. In 1980, the National Institutes for Health questioned this practice and outlined situations in which women should be offered the opportunity to try to birth vaginally, otherwise known as “trial of labor.” Physicians attending persons who have had a prior cesarean delivery are often concerned about the risks associated with vaginal birth after significant abdominal surgery. A woman's right to choose how she delivers her baby has been contested by the courts in numerous cases, some of which have been documented as part of National Advocates for Pregnant Women's extensive research into forced interventions on pregnant women.
