First Lady Weighing In on Cesarean as Pre-existing Condition

In a recent Washington Post article the First Lady, Michelle Obama weighed in on gender discrimination perpetuated by the health care industry towards women. Because of "pre-existing conditions" like cesarean section or even birth, some women are denied health coverage. For any woman who went through major abdominal surgery, whether out of true need or as an unfortunate outcome of interventions, this is a huge slap in the face. Childbirth should not be seen as a liability by an insurance company, no matter the outcome of labor and birth.

So now that it is out there, what do we as citizens who care about the state of maternity care do about it? Much has been discussed about introducing Certified Professional Midwives into the conversation regarding health care reform to combat the rising cesarean rates. Unfortunately this has not reached the national stage as much as organizations like The Big Push for Midwives or M.A.M.A.S. would have liked. But having someone as public as the First Lady make a mention of the shameful treatment of women by the health care industry, and private insurance in general, helps a good deal. It is now important to keep this dialogue going and let our voices be heard. No one deserves to be denied necessary coverage because of a surgery they may not have asked for in the first place.