Another practice that denies women the ability to make informed decisions regarding their childbirth is the unnecessary usage of a cesarean section instead of natural vaginal delivery. Akl thinks that the fear of natural labor that many women have is because intercourse is already painful for them due to the lack of sex education. The social stigma against women’s bodies is another contributing factor that hinders women from saying no to crimes that are committed under the name of medical practices. “Medicine is a system that does not take into consideration women’s pain and is already undermining women’s bodies and ignoring women’s experiences, their preferences or pain. Natural labor is more lengthy and tiring than C-sections- a natural delivery session could last up to six hours, while cesarean section takes barely 30 minutes.

Source: Egypt Independent October 19, 2023 01:12 UTC