A High Court judge has criticised a London NHS trust for leaving it until the last minute to seek court approval for an elective caesarean section for a woman with an IQ between 35 and 49, even though it knew nearly three months earlier that she would be at risk if her pregnancy went to full term.1 The woman, referred to as KB, suffered a hypoxic brain injury at birth which left her with microcephaly, epilepsy, physical disabilities, and a moderate to severe learning disability. Mr Justice Poole said, “It is indeed disturbing that KB, a very vulnerable woman who is unable to consent to sexual relations, and who was or ought to have been constantly supervised, has had intercourse. Not only that, but no one caring for her realised that she was pregnant …
