Inadequate Resources to Support Maternal Choice in Birth in BC is Unreasonable

The numbers of women who give birth in British Columbia have been fairly stable with the rate per 1,000 population being aroun 10 since 1999 (ranging from a high of 10.4 in 1999 to a low of 9.69 in 2005 - source BC Vital Statistics Agency 2009 annual report). As such, the demand for services related to childbirth and pregnancy should be fairly well known. Further, many women make decisions regarding the birth of their children well in advance of labour - choices about whether or not to have an epidural and in some cases about how to deliver their child (ie. planned c-sections). As such, when women go to give birth and cannot access epidurals and c-sections in a timely way, is it really excusable to blame a lack of resources?