Informed Consent is a topic that is being highly emphasized in the medical world currently, and also in general. You can't completely consent to anything unless you have a full picture of everything involved. That's where Informed Consent comes in -- but the idea behind it is still emphasized on the person still saying "yes" and consenting.
But I also want to add emphasis on Informed Refusal. Informed refusal emphasizes space for a person to gather all of the information they need to make a choice for themselves or their child, and to have the space to refuse or say "no" or "I'd like to wait and see."
A helpful tool to gather the information you need to make a fullly informed choice is by using the acronym BRAIND.
Being offered interventions? Remember BRAIND.
Benefits: What are the benefits of this procedure for me and my baby?
Risks: List the risks.
Alternatives: What are the alternatives we could choose?
Intuition: What is my gut feeling? Does this procedure make sense?
Nothing: What happens if we do nothing and allow some time?
Discuss and Decide: “We will discuss this issue and let you know our decision.”
