Abortion laws are generally liberal in most of the developed countries and restrictive in developing countries, particularly in Latin America, with two exceptions. International health and human rights organizations promote broader access to safe abortion based on its effectiveness in immediate reduction of maternal morbidity and mortality. Laws remain restrictive in Latin America because of the erroneous concept that liberalization of the law would increase the number of induced abortions, something most people would not like. This is a crucial misunderstanding because evidence shows abortions are not less in countries with restrictive laws and number of abortions does not increase following liberalization of the law. It is also believed that most people are against liberalization of the law, but further inquiry reveals that most people are against punishing women who have abortions. Th...

This nonsystematic review of the literature aimed to describe the changes that have occurred in the practice of cesarean section delivery from ancient times until today and to evaluate the consequences of these changes for the woman and for her newborn child. In ancient times, cesarean section was only performed post mortem or perimortem to preserve the life of the fetus or to separate it from its dead mother. Currently, this method of delivery is widely used not only in accordance with the adequate medical indications, but also to suit the convenience of the pregnant woman and/or her obstetrician. Such conduct, which has led to increasing numbers of elective procedures, may result in negative consequences for the woman and for her baby. This negative impact is contrary to what is expected when cesarean sections are correctly indicated, in which circumstances the procedure plays an impor...