Pregnant women planning a home birth have no right to put their baby at risk, the world’s leading medical journal has declared.

The outspoken comments in The Lancet come after research published earlier this month found home deliveries were three times riskier for newborns than those that take place at hospital.

The journal’s editorial warns that the finding reported in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology provides the strongest evidence so far that home birth can be harmful to newborn babies.

The study found children born at home were far more likely to die from heart and breathing problems, which could be because they are not properly monitored for signs of distress or treated in time in an emergency.

The research covered 549,607 births and showed the average mortality rate of babies born in hospital was about 0.3 per 1000 births, but this rose to 1 per 1000 births for those born at home.

Although the study was based on figures from several countries, the authors said the results for Britain would probably be very similar.

The Lancet said: “Women have the right to choose how and where to give birth, but they do not have the right to put their baby at risk.”

In Scotland about 1.5% of births take place in the home – 881 out of 60,366 deliveries in 2008.

However, last summer there was a marked increase in Glasgow after a team of midwives dedicated to home births was launched.

During the following six months 32 mothers chose to give birth at home, compared 27 for the whole of 2008.

There has also been a steady increase in the practice UK-wide, with more women demanding a choice, and between 2006 and 2007 the number of home births rose by 10%.

Anna Clayton-Jones, an expectant mother from Edinburgh who is planning a home birth, accused The Lancet of scaremongering.

She said: “I do understand that there is a slight increased risk but the figures are just so small and it is a much calmer environment for the baby. Those who are born at home have a much better experience.”

She said her decision, taken with husband James, had sparked strong opinions among friends and family, but she stressed it should be a personal choice.

Leading parents’ charity the National Childbirth Trust also hit back at the stance taken by The Lancet.

Mary Newburn, the charity’s head of research and information, said: “Comments like these are concerning to read. All adults with the mental capacity to make decisions have the right to decide which treatment options they accept or decline. Pregnant women have the same rights as other adults, a fundamental legal principle.

“For a healthy woman with a straightforward, low-risk pregnancy, home birth is a safe option.”

The charity conducted its own critique of the American journal paper and said there were a range of serious methodological limitations and that the claims on the safety of home birth were completely unjustifiable.

Women who have experienced complications during their pregnancy are generally advised to go into hospital to deliver. However, a large Scottish study published earlier this month found babies born outside normal working hours were more likely to die than other infants.

The Lancet editorial acknowledges this, saying: “Hospital delivery should be the preferred method of delivery for high-risk pregnancies, even though it is not without risks – a recent study from Scotland showed that rates of neonatal death are higher in hospitals when births occur outside normal working hours.”