Women who come to give birth at the Obstetrics Center of the Hospital de Base in Porto Velho, in the Brazilian State of Rondônia are from underprivileged social groups. Wealthier women attend private clinics and give birth by way of caesarian section at a pre-scheduled date and time. This article addresses the question of the increase in the incidence of caesarian birth in Latin countries and also in the developed world, where this has provoked necessary and urgent bioethical discussion. It also investigates the opinions of women giving birth at the Obstetrics Center of the Hospital de Base in 2006 and 2007.
Cesarean section; Natural childbirth; Personal autonomy
