tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387757235421993128.post6677942387681785208..comments2023-12-27T23:42:45.680-05:00Comments on The Abortioneers: What Do C-Sections Have To Do With Abortions? Working toward a reproductive-justice perspectiveplacenta sandwichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729355361057625131noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387757235421993128.post-61044573040945669042010-03-30T06:44:05.408-04:002010-03-30T06:44:05.408-04:00"Elective c-section" is as loaded a term..."Elective c-section" is as loaded a term as "abortion on demand."<br /><br />I have nothing against VBACs or breastfeeding -- I think both should be encouraged. But it's possible to encourage them without putting down other choices and the women who make them.<br /><br />Breastfeeding gets short shrift as a feminist issue, too --- when I decided to wean my daughter, I had to resist our pediatrician's pressure to continue. What happened to, "My body, my choice?" Did I give that up, when I chose to breed?<br /><br />And how do you quantify what an "unfounded fear" is? The risk of a uterine rupture was very, very small -- and I had already had one c-section and uncomplicated recovery, so I knew my personal risks from surgery were low, too. I was very fortunate to have a good choice, either way, and I picked the way I thought would be easier on the baby.<br /><br />Five years later, I had a third c-section -- not elective, that time, after two others. I had another healthy baby, and another uncomplicated recovery.L.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13437332749627332216noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387757235421993128.post-80420636312613238472010-03-30T00:53:16.106-04:002010-03-30T00:53:16.106-04:00TFB: yes, i'd like to see more VBACs, too. lik...TFB: yes, i'd like to see more VBACs, too. like abortion, i think there's a lot of misinformation about it. <br /><br />however, in progressive communities, there's often a stigma against cesareans (& not breastfeeding, etc.), which i find equally frustrating. as placental sandwich notes, you can't win for losing; -someone- will think you're doing it wrong.<br /><br />so instead of criticizing the choices women make, let's criticize the medical community for limiting or weighting the options unfairly, or criticize people who pressure women into doubting themselves and relinquishing control of their bodies.gl.https://www.blogger.com/profile/11890196589573443189noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387757235421993128.post-8750836363310713832010-03-29T22:38:14.268-04:002010-03-29T22:38:14.268-04:00Since I'm a VBACtivist, I'll say that ther...Since I'm a VBACtivist, I'll say that there is these days an alarming number of doctors won't even LET a woman VBAC, let alone force her to do so. Things were definitely different 13 years ago, but they were doing pretty stupid things with VBAC back then too, like overloading women's uteruses with Pitocin and then expecting them not to rupture. Vaginal birth does not have to be some miserable thing, and the fact that the medical community has convinced childbearing women of that is a complete travesty. I've seen Hypnobirthing moms (real friends of mine) give birth with ZERO pain, completely naturally. These days, doctors tell women all about the risks of vaginal birth while never once mentioning the serious risks involved with major abdominal surgery - and how it can affect a woman's reproductive health for the rest of her life. <br /><br />Yes, an elective cesarean should be a woman's right - but if she's making that decision based on some unfounded fear, or really bad information, then she's not really being given a true choice.TheFeministBreederhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10870473200937110378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387757235421993128.post-5705181680213110442010-03-29T22:30:59.036-04:002010-03-29T22:30:59.036-04:00PCG - Yes! Spot on. Too many kids / too few, havin...PCG - Yes! Spot on. Too many kids / too few, having kids too early / too late, parenting too progressive / too old fashioned, etc etc etc: basically women can't win for losing. I love our online friends :)placenta sandwichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14729355361057625131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387757235421993128.post-64755701754093705782010-03-29T22:23:59.359-04:002010-03-29T22:23:59.359-04:00L.-
Thanks for your comment. It's not our pla...L.-<br /><br />Thanks for your comment. It's not our place to judge women for their choices in regards to bodily autonomy, especially considering the fact that we're reproductive rights advocates. I see a lot of people shaming women for breastfeeding in public, not breastfeeding at all, having a c-section, etc. To me, it's not different than shaming a person for having an abortion.ProChoiceGalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07220695159759063365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387757235421993128.post-82204768188633433252010-03-29T20:05:04.624-04:002010-03-29T20:05:04.624-04:00gl. - I actually was trying to say pretty much wha...gl. - I actually was trying to say pretty much what you said, but I think you put it better! There are definitely unfair judgments about moms who have c-sections, whether for medical priorities or [physical or emotional] comfort -- hence it being a conversation killer -- and a big one seems to be about "laziness". When really, as L. points out, it's not necessarily any 'easier' to undergo major surgery and potentially long recovery. <br /><br />I guess I just meant, it seems like in some circles, people automatically take ANY c-section that wasn't forced upon a patient and put it right into their singular narrative.placenta sandwichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14729355361057625131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387757235421993128.post-8111090025685197632010-03-29T18:51:21.449-04:002010-03-29T18:51:21.449-04:00i know this was meant well, but this comment makes...i know this was meant well, but this comment makes me uncomfortable: "To me, your c-section sounds pretty medically-grounded, and I wonder if the silence you get about the "elective c-section" is based on inaccurate stereotypes of 'lazy' mothers who put comfort above their kid"<br /><br />so what if a mother -does- choose to "put comfort above their kid"? it's her body, her choice: whether that choice is VBAC or c-section. imo, pro-choice encompasses a wide range of choice about reproduction, not just abortion.<br /><br />having said that, i never knew how c-sections affect AB risks. thank you!gl.https://www.blogger.com/profile/11890196589573443189noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387757235421993128.post-38275051927108265582010-03-29T18:15:21.417-04:002010-03-29T18:15:21.417-04:00Bob R, thanks for your comment. I do support fast-...Bob R, thanks for your comment. I do support fast-track access to detox and rehab programs for women who find themselves pregnant while addicted to drugs, since it MAY help them have a safer healthier pregnancy and will almost definitely help them be healthier parents. <br /><br />However, I really don't like the idea of punishing or shaming women who use drugs during pregnancy when we don't even have scientific evidence to back up the claims of disastrous risk, and especially not in comparison to a multitide of other pregnancy behaviors. It's a really interesting area of science that has been pulled this way and that by politics and social prejudice. For more information on what's fact and what's myth, you can explore the site of the National Advocates for Pregnant Women (I link to it above in the section on drug addiction) and articles like this one, "Crack Babies - The Epidemic That Wasn't": http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/health/27coca.htmlplacenta sandwichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14729355361057625131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387757235421993128.post-60317633361167910912010-03-29T10:55:48.435-04:002010-03-29T10:55:48.435-04:00L., *thank you* for adding that. To me, your c-sec...L., *thank you* for adding that. To me, your c-section sounds pretty medically-grounded, and I wonder if the silence you get about the "elective c-section" is based on inaccurate stereotypes of 'lazy' mothers who put comfort above their kid, bla bla bla. I can definitely see how yours might be an under-represented perspective in the birthing rights movement -- sorry I contributed to that in my ignorance! Thank you again for sharing.placenta sandwichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14729355361057625131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387757235421993128.post-55257607633023812442010-03-29T10:53:03.645-04:002010-03-29T10:53:03.645-04:00Total autonomy is what I want for all women, and m...Total autonomy is what I want for all women, and men as well. I do have to differ with you in that if one is unable or unwilling to be a parent than they should not become a parent. Very wrong to get pregnant if you are a drug addict or in some other extenuating circumstance. This is where widespread dissemination of birth control and abortion comes in to allow people to take greater control of their reproductive choices. Keep the blogs coming, my wife and I are hooked.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387757235421993128.post-83500595463871408582010-03-29T10:36:51.749-04:002010-03-29T10:36:51.749-04:00Remember -- reproductive rights also include the r...Remember -- reproductive rights also include the right to REFUSE vaginal labor, depending on the circumstances.<br /><br />My second c-section 13 years ago was elective. I resisted my doctor's pressure for me to attempt a VBAC. Well, actually, I decided I would attempt a vaginal birth if I went into labor naturally, but I didn't -- my cervix had other plans. <br /><br />My due date came and went, and I opted for a c-section instead of an induction. I personally didn't want to go be tortured with Pitocin, with a scarred uterus and the accompanying higher risks -- I figured a c-section would be easier on the baby. (I have a very narrow pelvis, and my first c-section was due to cephalopelvic disproportion -- I am not built for birthing babies.) <br /><br />Whenever women are telling birth stories, all I have to say are the words "elective c-section" and...it can be a real conversation stopper! But not all of us who chose one in our particular circumstances are misguided dupes.<br /><br />Funny, childbirth is the only thing in which getting one's stomach cut open is considered taking the easy way out.L.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13437332749627332216noreply@blogger.com