I LOVE antenatal care, it's my favourite part of being a midwife. I think that given the right time and also continuity of midwife antenatally (and this can be done outside of a caseload system) you CAN give women an informed choice, even if they don't have a high level of understanding: you just learn to pitch things at the right level with the right vocabulary. In such a way, I've helped mothers from all backgrounds to achieve a positive-and safe-birth experience. Women do not choose things that are not good for her and her baby, on the whole, unless they don't understand the reasons or risks. If these are explained and the woman accepts the risks and takes that responsibility then that is fine! Nobody can stop her unless she's not mentally competent. Incidentally, we are trained as midwives to deal with emergencies at home and in the community setting and as such, our Uni trained us with 'what to do when there is no doctor to call' scenarios. I am quite confident that if I was in Tesco and a woman gave birth in the freezer aisle and started haemorrhaging that I'd know how to deal with it- because it's what I am trained to deal with if necessary!