Saturday, October 24, 2009

C-section Persecution

I have already discussed how the ruling patriarchal ideology marginalizes women who give birth through C-section**. Women have to be constantly punished for their gender through pain and suffering. Those who try to minimize the pain of childbirth through scheduled C-sections are shamed into seeing themselves as traitors to their femininity and told that they are a "failure."

Here are some more disturbing facts provided by Feministe about the persecution faced by women who give birth through C-sections:

Insurance companies can consider prior cesarean sections as a “pre-existing condition” and deny a woman coverage for childbirth. Additionally, in Florida for example, women who have had c-sections are charged 25% more in premiums if they want to retain their health insurance coverage of birth.



In Illinois, according to a Chicago Sun-Times article on 6/26/07, a woman’s emergency c-section (much to her physician’s consternation) was denied coverage by BlueCross BlueShield.

The sad thing is that women often buy into this anti-C-section propaganda and gleefully participate in shaming women who have C-sections.


** Check out my posts "The Truth about C-section," "A C-section Makes You a Failure," and  "Ideology in Birth Preparation Classes."

1 comment:

Dina AlBadawi said...

Hello Clarissa,
Here my first comment in your blog (or come to think any blog)! I'll try to sound as much English as I am capable of, but forgive me if it sounds weird.

I had C-section, my best friend had regular birth. I did not have pain during those 45 min, she did not have pain during hers hours of birth. How come?? - very simple - spinal anesthesia for both of us.http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/subarachnoid+anesthesia .... So far so good. But here comes the difference - it took me weeks of pain, days of bended walking, not to mention all postoperative complications - embolism, thromboses ext... ( I ONLY got the second one, and the doc wanted to put me back in hospital, and it hearted even more than the c-section itself.....) plus if the mother takes pain killers - no breastfeeding!!! O, did I mention the numbness around the scar??
http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/Common-Post-Op-Complications-to-Look-Out-For.htm
My friend??? She was running around the house next day with happy memories of childbirth and only a bandage on her back!!!
Me...... misery and pain, that's all I remember.

So, C-section to prevent pain ???? I consider this as an old wife tale/believe.

Big missconception!