Baghdad's night curfews forcing women to schedule C-sections [View All]

[Contrary1]

Just another little inconvenience for the Bush-liberated Iraqis.

"BAGHDAD — Doctors in Baghdad are performing more scheduled Caesarean deliveries, the result of nightly curfews that make it difficult or impossible for pregnant women to reach hospitals after dark.

Along with private vehicles, ambulances are banned from the streets during overnight curfews. That means women who choose not to schedule Caesareans must rely on midwives or hope they'll be able to arrange for police escorts if they go into labor at night, says Sister Bushra Gagagan, who manages a private maternity hospital run by nuns in Baghdad's Karrada district.

Isarra Ali, 25, scheduled a Caesarean for the birth of her daughter Samar last February on advice of female friends and relatives. "What are you supposed to do if you go into labor in the middle of the night?" she says.

The curfew is in effect from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Spontaneous road closures and gridlock traffic make reaching the hospital a risky proposition even during daylight hours..."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2007-04-12-c-sections_N.htm