C-section decision belongs to moms

According to an article in the respected medical journal, The Lancet, last week, the number of women undergoing Caesarean section births doubled between 2000 and 2015, with the proportion of surgical, as opposed to natural, childbirths increasing from 12% to 21%. The Sexual and Reproductive Justice Coalition in South Africa said the number of C-sections here is higher than the world average.

The question is, should this be a matter for concern? There are a number of points to consider.

Critics say the increase in the number of C-sections is because mothers and their medical professionals are opting for the procedure for reasons of convenience – and even profit – rather than on purely health-related grounds.

This is understandable in a way because mothers these days are often juggling homes and careers and are – especially in this country – the heads of single-parent households. So time and convenience are important considerations for them.

There is also the argument that undergoing a C-section reduces the risk to both mother and child of something going wrong during the birth.

However, there is no doubt the use of surgery is also a more convenient option for the medical practitioner and offers the prospect of bringing in more money.

The latter consideration is a worry in a country where the vast majority of people cannot afford private medical care and where there is such a difference between the private and government health sectors.

C-sections as a “money-making” concept is an argument the government could well use in its push for a National Health Insurance scheme.

Yet, the flip side to the high C-section numbers is that, with our high HIV/Aids prevalence, delivering a child via surgery reduces the chance of mother-to-child transmission of the virus.

In the end, the decision should be up to the mother. It’s her body.