Research Paper on:
Are Cesarean Section Rates Too High?

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
many wondering at the magnitude of the problem. Is it medically needed, or as some speculate, are doctors with schedules that are too tight, or patients who want the child  to come at a more convenient time requesting it? Currently in the United States nearly one in seven women will have complications which require that she deliver her baby by  cesarean section. Some of those conditions include diabetes, pelvic abnormalities, hypertension, or infections diseases(Goyert 1989).Most of these and other conditions which arise during pregnancy can proscribe a cesarean section because  of the nature of the problem as life-threatening to either the mother or child, or both. The US National Library of Medicine states that in 1990 nearly 982,000 babies, nearly  25 percent, were born by cesarean section, whereas in 1970 that rate was only around five percent of the births. The Medical Library states that the birth rate wasnt  as high as the percentage of women given a c-section, meaning that more women were receiving the procedure. Experts hypothesize that the increase was due to technology available, cultural reasons,  and legal reasons, as well as medical necessity (National Med. Library 2003). They also state that the rise and proliferation in malpractice suits may have spurred on the recommendations by  physicians to their patients for cesarean procedures, rather than risk incurring suit by allowing a woman to go through the vaginal birthing process. Another interesting statistic, which may  also lend evidence as to why the cesarean rates are high, comes from the Utah Office of Health Data Analysis. According to the statistics they give, the average cost for  a woman delivering via vaginal birth is approximately 2143.28 dollars in comparison to the patient who delivers via cesarean section at a cost of 4420.87 dollars. Apparently, administering a cesarean