09/01/2026
The rate of cesarean birth is on the rise in Northern Ireland, possibly faster than anywhere else in the UK...in some parts of the country 50% or even more babies are born by cesarean...we need to question why that is and what this means for babies and women...
‘Increasing cesarean delivery rates are the cumulative result of multiple drivers, such as structural imbalances, commodification of care, and institutional accountability gaps, and not just due to clinical processes. The interplay of profit, litigation fears, and social narratives drives unnecessary cesarean deliveries, whereas rights violations and systemic mistrust disproportionately affect vulnerable women and girls’.
This question is rarely asked in public in the UK, with no discussion on halting or reducing soaring rates.
Paper published in the American of Obstetrics and Gynaecology- link in stories.