Consent is critical for the respect of women undergoing treatments

A woman of my acquaintance remembers lying in the hospital labour ward in the aftermath of a particularly difficult birth — elated and exhausted. She was waiting for the tray which held the pot of tea and two slices of toast that recently delivered mothers the world over will tell you is the best meal they’ve ever had.

The baby had eventually arrived safely but, down at the “business end”, work continued as her obstetrician quietly begun the job of stitching her up. At one point she looked down at him and found herself saying: “Try and make it so that I’ll recognise it afterwards.”