Are C-Sections Always Necessary?
In the past, C-sections were considered life-saving operations performed for women with serious problems during labor. However, in the last several decades, a dramatic rise has occurred in the number of C-sections performed in both HIV-positive and -negative women. In many instances, the C-section was pre-planned and elective, as opposed to an emergency response to a complication of pregnancy. In 1996, over one in five children born in this country were born surgically. This is the highest rate of C-sections in the world. Many have long suspected these operations are too often performed for the convenience of the doctor and fear of malpractice lawsuits, not for the health of mother or baby. In many ways, they have been right. As major operations, C-sections — including elective ones — are not without risk. In healthy, HIV-negative women, C-sections pose a two to four times greater risk of maternal death than natural, vaginal deliveries. Women who have the operations show much higher
