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Elective Cesarean Section & Abortion
This one really gets me. I know many people in my "birth circle" who are rightfully disgusted at the notion that women should have the "choice" of an elective cesarean section. These women (and I include myself in this group) would explain to the proponents of elective cesarean that offering this surgery up as "a woman's choice" is an unfair, and even dishonest angle, because it is not an INFORMED choice. My friends and I would then continue such a conversation to explain to the cesarean proponent that major abdominal surgery has many risks for mother and baby, and even claims lives, and thus c-section should not be done unless medically indicated. To propose elective cesarean be available for any woman at her request is to con and undermine women to the detriment of their health and the health of their children.
I have many friends in my birth circle who are pro-choice and many who are pro-life. And I must say I am fascinated that my pro-choice and pro-life birth friends will all generally agree with my first paragraph, despite what I feel is a clear relationship between elective cesarean and abortion. And what I find even more fascinating is that I can reason myself onto either side of the issue! What a mind-expanding topic this is! Allow me to divulge:
One school of thought says that just as it is unjust and twisted to promote elective cesarean as a woman's choice, it is unjust and twisted to promote abortion as a woman's choice. There is evidence that abortion hurts women, and I don't think anyone on either side of the debate can deny that the decision to abort a child is always a painful and incredibly difficult decision. (I don't buy the labeling of pro-choice women as "pro-abortion," I think it's absurd and makes the pro-life community lose credibility in the eyes of the pro-choice community, who are miffed that their viewpoint is misinterpreted). So anyways, there is evidence that unnecessary cesarean hurts women -- infections, hemorrhage, blood clots, increased pain and longer recovery, bowel obstruction, PTSD, less bonding and more breastfeeding problems, and yes, sometimes cesareans kill women. Check out www.ican-online.org to learn more. And there is evidence that abortion hurts women -- anxiety, depression (sometimes very severe), relationship problems, substance abuse, PTSD, hysterectomy, bleeding, pain, and yes, women around the world die from botched abortions every day. Check out www.rachelsvineyard.org to learn more. So if you follow where I'm going with this, it makes sense that if a woman believes that all "choices" presented to women should be INFORMED CHOICES, and that it is cruel and insulting to manipulate women into choosing potentially harmful elective cesareans, such a woman would feel the same regarding the manipulation of women to choose potentially harmful elective abortions, and thus be pro-life. I see this school of thought being based on the conviction that complete and unbiased information should always be presented to all women.
However, I think there is another school of thought that makes opposition to elective cesarean consistent with the pro-choice philosophy. These women object to the promotion of elective cesarean not only because it can be physically harmful to women, but because such promotion robs women of unrestricted access to vaginal birth, which is entirely true. The cesarean rate is getting higher and higher with each day it seems, and abundance breeds normalcy, normalcy breeds acceptance, and acceptance breeds a new status quo. As cesarean becomes status quo, it has the direct effect of putting vaginal birth out of vogue. And when vaginal birth becomes unaccessible, as is happening all over the place (the VBAC crisis!), a woman's birth options are restricted. And because cesarean is often seen as the solution to every challenging dilemma, some women are being forced to have c-sections by court order! Any pro-choice woman will tell you that a woman has the right to decide what happens to her own body. She should be able to decide whether or not she wants drugs during labor, whether or not she wants prenatal testing, whether she wants to give birth at home or in the hospital, and whether or not she wants to have an abortion, AND a woman should be allowed to say "yes" or "no" to a cesarean section! It is an unimaginable breach of human rights to stick a scalpel in someone's abdomen against their will! Everyone agrees that women should have choices and their right to make these choices should be safeguarded fiercely (I don't buy the labeling of pro-life women as "anti-choice," I think this is absurd as well and makes the pro-choice community lose credibility in the eyes of the pro-life community, who are also miffed that their viewpoint is misinterpreted). The promotion of cesarean section makes c-section pervasive, which makes a woman's choice FOR HER and thereby punishes all the women who desire and deserve care for a vaginal birth. Using similiar thinking, the restriction or attempted restriction of abortion services makes a woman's choice for her and punishes the women who do not have the resources or support to become parents. It makes sense that a woman who agrees with this rationale be pro-choice. This school of thought is based on the conviction that a woman has authority over her own body.
Cesareans and abortions. Both epidemic. Both very difficult and complex issues. In case you were wondering, I do fall conclusively into one of these schools of thought. I am pro-life. (In another season of my life I was pro-choice.) I have dappled on each side in my spare daydreaming time with lots of ifs, ands, and buts, and this relationship between cesarean and abortion has made me more understanding and compassionate for those on each side of the abortion issue. Side note -- I really wish pro-choice folks would stop assuming pro-life folks are old-fashioned, prudish religious zealots who have never made a bad decision in their lives; and I really wish pro-life folks would stop assuming pro-choice folks are heartless, immoral murderers who are out to kill as many babies as possible. Both stereotypes really annoy the crap out of me. I'm glad my circle of sisters can generally agree regarding c-sections, regardless of which conviction(s) brought us to that position.
I have many friends in my birth circle who are pro-choice and many who are pro-life. And I must say I am fascinated that my pro-choice and pro-life birth friends will all generally agree with my first paragraph, despite what I feel is a clear relationship between elective cesarean and abortion. And what I find even more fascinating is that I can reason myself onto either side of the issue! What a mind-expanding topic this is! Allow me to divulge:
One school of thought says that just as it is unjust and twisted to promote elective cesarean as a woman's choice, it is unjust and twisted to promote abortion as a woman's choice. There is evidence that abortion hurts women, and I don't think anyone on either side of the debate can deny that the decision to abort a child is always a painful and incredibly difficult decision. (I don't buy the labeling of pro-choice women as "pro-abortion," I think it's absurd and makes the pro-life community lose credibility in the eyes of the pro-choice community, who are miffed that their viewpoint is misinterpreted). So anyways, there is evidence that unnecessary cesarean hurts women -- infections, hemorrhage, blood clots, increased pain and longer recovery, bowel obstruction, PTSD, less bonding and more breastfeeding problems, and yes, sometimes cesareans kill women. Check out www.ican-online.org to learn more. And there is evidence that abortion hurts women -- anxiety, depression (sometimes very severe), relationship problems, substance abuse, PTSD, hysterectomy, bleeding, pain, and yes, women around the world die from botched abortions every day. Check out www.rachelsvineyard.org to learn more. So if you follow where I'm going with this, it makes sense that if a woman believes that all "choices" presented to women should be INFORMED CHOICES, and that it is cruel and insulting to manipulate women into choosing potentially harmful elective cesareans, such a woman would feel the same regarding the manipulation of women to choose potentially harmful elective abortions, and thus be pro-life. I see this school of thought being based on the conviction that complete and unbiased information should always be presented to all women.
However, I think there is another school of thought that makes opposition to elective cesarean consistent with the pro-choice philosophy. These women object to the promotion of elective cesarean not only because it can be physically harmful to women, but because such promotion robs women of unrestricted access to vaginal birth, which is entirely true. The cesarean rate is getting higher and higher with each day it seems, and abundance breeds normalcy, normalcy breeds acceptance, and acceptance breeds a new status quo. As cesarean becomes status quo, it has the direct effect of putting vaginal birth out of vogue. And when vaginal birth becomes unaccessible, as is happening all over the place (the VBAC crisis!), a woman's birth options are restricted. And because cesarean is often seen as the solution to every challenging dilemma, some women are being forced to have c-sections by court order! Any pro-choice woman will tell you that a woman has the right to decide what happens to her own body. She should be able to decide whether or not she wants drugs during labor, whether or not she wants prenatal testing, whether she wants to give birth at home or in the hospital, and whether or not she wants to have an abortion, AND a woman should be allowed to say "yes" or "no" to a cesarean section! It is an unimaginable breach of human rights to stick a scalpel in someone's abdomen against their will! Everyone agrees that women should have choices and their right to make these choices should be safeguarded fiercely (I don't buy the labeling of pro-life women as "anti-choice," I think this is absurd as well and makes the pro-choice community lose credibility in the eyes of the pro-life community, who are also miffed that their viewpoint is misinterpreted). The promotion of cesarean section makes c-section pervasive, which makes a woman's choice FOR HER and thereby punishes all the women who desire and deserve care for a vaginal birth. Using similiar thinking, the restriction or attempted restriction of abortion services makes a woman's choice for her and punishes the women who do not have the resources or support to become parents. It makes sense that a woman who agrees with this rationale be pro-choice. This school of thought is based on the conviction that a woman has authority over her own body.
Cesareans and abortions. Both epidemic. Both very difficult and complex issues. In case you were wondering, I do fall conclusively into one of these schools of thought. I am pro-life. (In another season of my life I was pro-choice.) I have dappled on each side in my spare daydreaming time with lots of ifs, ands, and buts, and this relationship between cesarean and abortion has made me more understanding and compassionate for those on each side of the abortion issue. Side note -- I really wish pro-choice folks would stop assuming pro-life folks are old-fashioned, prudish religious zealots who have never made a bad decision in their lives; and I really wish pro-life folks would stop assuming pro-choice folks are heartless, immoral murderers who are out to kill as many babies as possible. Both stereotypes really annoy the crap out of me. I'm glad my circle of sisters can generally agree regarding c-sections, regardless of which conviction(s) brought us to that position.