A couple in the US are campaigning to have water birth programmes shut down, blaming the process for their son’s disabilities.
Amy Benton and Matthew Marino decided to go with a water birth with their son Luca, who was born in 2011, at Legacy Emanuel Medical Centre in Portland.
After what the couple are claiming to have been a ‘botched water birth’, however, Luca was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and hearing difficulties, among other disabilities.
The couple this week filed a lawsuit asking for over $35 million for Luca’s care and suffering, and have requested that the judge overseeing their case “prohibit Legacy [medical centre] from performing water births at any of its five Oregon hospitals.”
As part of their case, the couple are claiming that Legacy should never have allowed mum Amy to have a water birth, due to high-risk complications during her pregnancy, stating that Luca was deprived of oxygen at birth and resuscitated too late.
As well as claiming that doctors should have ordered a caesarean section for Amy, the couple have also highlighted the fact that there was no obstetrician present at the birth.
We will keep you updated on the progress of the case as it unfolds.
