Within the medical community, it is rarely considered a positive sign if
a state or country exhibits a high rate of cesarean sections. While the
innovative procedure is vital and even lifesaving in many cases, there
are concerns that it might be over-utilized by doctors as a means to save
time or money. At times, overreliance upon c-sections, or rushed procedures,
can result in birth injuries or worse. Recently, Texas was named among
the top ten states to have the highest c-section rates.
In 1990, the nationwide rate of c-sections was just 22 percent. However,
in 2010 that rate climbed to just under 33 percent. Interestingly, just
one of the 50 states has a c-section rate that is lower today than the
1990 average. Texas ranks ninth out of states with the most c-sections
with a rate of just over 35 percent. The top state is neighboring Louisiana
with a rate of 39.7 percent. Texas’ neighbor to the west, New Mexico,
actually ranks in the top ten states for lowest c-section rates.
Generally, healthy women whose pregnancies are problem-free don’t require
c-sections. Of course, anything can happen during the delivery process
and sometimes an unplanned c-section is a tremendously valuable procedures.
Still, if a woman doesn’t genuinely need one, a c-section can lead
to complications and serious injury to mother or baby. In addition, since
it is an intensive surgical procedure, c-sections can also produce far
more medical expenses than those incurred from a natural or traditional birth.
Some speculate that money is the reason behind today’s higher c-section
rates. Since the procedure is a surgery, hospitals usually charge more
than they do for traditional births; as a result, the doctor may be paid
more as well. When doctors deviate from accepted standards of care and
start making decisions based on their own financial gain, it may be necessary
to take legal action.
If a newborn has suffered birth injuries due to medical errors made during
the delivery process, there might be a cause for civil action. It is important
to understand options such as medical malpractice. This could help compensate
them for the expenses and losses they incurred due to these errors.