Childbirth, although excruciatingly painful and difficult, is deemed as a beautiful, life changing moment for the mothers who experience it. While carrying a baby for nine months, they imagine what qualities and characteristics the baby will inherit and establish a bond from the moment of conception. During active labor, when the mother is experiencing contractions, they are pushed to a level of pain and pressure so intense that many feel they can no longer continue until they do. At that moment, they welcome a new person into this world and the parents are subjected to an array of joyous emotions, overwhelmed with love and adoration for the person that they made.

Beatrix and Craig Campbell longed for this experience for more than five years, but when the time finally came they were left with unexpected feelings of hurt and sorrow. The couple expected to leave the hospital with a healthy nine-pound baby girl; instead they made arrangements for their only daughter’s funeral. The cause of death was pronounced as severe spinal injury due to the incorrect usage of forceps during delivery. After thirty hours of labor, Beatrix begged for a Cesarean section, but the doctor refused insisting that it was unnecessary. The alleged doctor then continued to use forceps intending to twist the infant’s body around. Instead and unfortunately only the head rotated, resulting in the traumatic injury. With forceps injuries continuing to increase, many expecting parents are arguing that forceps are extremely deadly and should be banned in the delivery room. But is that really the case? If so, then why are doctors continuing to fight this statement, stating that forceps could in fact save a baby’s life?

The use of forceps during delivery can be extremely dangerous, even more so than a Cesarean section. Forceps have a high rate of damage to both the mother and the baby when used. For the mother, the forceps can tear at the lining of the vaginal cavity and may leave scarring. For the baby, forceps almost always leave marks such as bruises and small cuts around the skull. In more extreme cases the forceps can temporarily damage the baby’s sight and nerve functions, cause internal bleeding from the skull, and death. In recent cases involving the child’s death many of the women remember begging for a C-section all to no avail.

For example, Rachel Melancon feared that her pregnancy would be difficult due to her small size, but she had no idea that she would leave the hospital without her newborn baby. After eighteen hours of active labor, Rachel pleaded with the medical staff to undergo a C-section, to which they replied no, claiming she would have a scar from the procedure. The doctor then proceeded to use forceps, trying unsuccessfully to rotate and pull the baby from the birth canal. According to Ms. Melancon, the doctor used a great deal of force and even placed his foot on a table nearby to gain more leverage. The room grew silent when they heard a popping sound, the sound of the newborn baby’s skull cracking under the pressure. At that time, Rachel was rushed to an emergency Cesarean. Olivia was born that morning and immediately put on life support. She obtained multiple skull fractures due to the extreme force used, and after five days Olivia died. A death which could have been prevented, had forceps not been used.

Although we have seen one too many tragedies involving forceps during childbirth, doctors believe they are a necessary during assisted births. They are said to speed the delivery process and can save a child’s life in certain cases. Forceps are also believed to decrease the rate of Cesarean sections, which is at an all time high. However, doctors are not ignorant to the unfortunate errors that continue to occur. While forceps are useful, they are not to be used without extreme caution and many years of experience. Professor Steer states not that forceps should be banned, but that physicians be thoroughly trained before attempting to use them in difficult situations. By contrast, in a personal interview, Meagan Ford, a nursing student at St. Mary’s hospital, argues that forceps should only be used in extreme cases. She believes that they are necessary, but only if it is the last resort.

Forceps have saved thousands of lives for centuries. Although there have been incidents in which the result is tragic, there are many more lives that have been positively affected by the presence of forceps in the delivery room. While this is true, the amount of training doctors should receive before attempting these difficult deliveries still remains.