"The scandal of the medicalisation of birth is not new; from the 1960s, activists such as Ina May Gaskin and Sheila Kitzinger have fought against the interventionist tide that sees birth as an illness, rather than part of a woman's "wellness cycle". But it is a scandal that has reached extraordinary proportions: in 30 years, the Caesarean rate in Britain has more than trebled; one baby in five is now delivered this way. (The US figure varies from 50% for healthy, middle-class women in their 30s and 40s in private hospitals, to between 1% and 15% for those in public hospitals.) Of course, Britain is different from America in that the market does not rule healthcare - US hospitals get a $1,000 bonus for every epidural requested. But the story is absolutely relevant here, with doctors under increasing pressure to avoid litigation, a severe shortage of midwives, the increasing popularity of elective Caesareans for women who are constantly told that vaginal childbirth is traumatic and terrible, and the threats of private interests entering the health service."
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Playwrights from EnglandWomen authors from EnglandFeminists from EnglandWomen born in the 1970sWomen journalists from England
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Article partly reflects on Misconceptions, a book by Naomi Wolf concerning Wolf's first experience of childbirth.
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Katharine_Viner
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Katharine Viner
Katharine Sophie Viner (born January 1971) is a British journalist and playwright. She was the first woman appointed as editor-in-chief at The Guardian on 1 June 2015 succeeding Alan Rusbridger. Viner previously headed The Guardians web operations in Australia and the United States, before being selected for the editor-in-chief's position.
14 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Katharine Viner →
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