The Atlantic: Why Most Brazilian Women Get C-Sections
“…Brazil has a free, public health care system, but many of its wealthier residents — about a quarter of the population — use a private insurance scheme that functions much like the U.S. medical system. … The economics of private insurance certainly play a role, but culture is a big part of what drives the C-section epidemic here. … Women who have C-sections that are not medically necessary are at a greater risk of death, blood transfusions, and hysterectomies, a 2010 World Health Organization study found. The WHO has, until recently, recommended that C-sections be limited to only 15 percent of all births. But the rate in many other countries, including Brazil, is much higher…” (Khazan, 4/14).