31.1% of American babies are born by cesarean section, major abdominal surgery. The World Health Organization has been saying for years that rates above 10-15% for ANY nation are high enough that the risks of the surgery outweight any possible benefits. This means that as much as 20% of new mothers and babies are being put at unnecessary risk.
April has been designated as Cesarean Awareness Month. Take the time this month to learn more about the cesarean rates in the United States, in your state, and in your local area. Visit the International Cesarean Awareness Network's web site and get involved.http://www. ican-online. org.
Consider too, getting involved in fighting for VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) by writing to your senators and hospitals that do not "allow" VBAC. In Colorado, the majority of Western Slope hospitals now have VBAC "bans" in place, directly interfering with the human rights of women to birth their babies as nature intended, physiologically. Research has proven time and again that VBAC is safer than an automatic repeat cesarean for the vast majority of women. Medical law makes such bans illegal because they remove a woman's right to choose what will be done to her body. It is a fight worth fighting. Again, the ICAN web site is one to visit to read about this issue.
Get involved. Make change. The health of women and babies depend on it.
