I find it ironic that in many places in America, there is a push to actually get back to a more "natural" birth space. (a.k.a. homebirth with a midwife) A lot of it has to do with how American hospitals, because of liability and insurance issues.. treat every birth as an emergency event and according to some statics actually create more complications that result to c-sections. The homebirth movement has grown to such an extent, the board of obstetrics released a letter last year stressing how homebirth is dangerous and births should be monitored in hospitals. I remember how disdainful my OB was of it, and how she wanted to write a letter to the board to stress how their opinion doesn't represent her and her views. It's a huge battle right now. Because of that letter, insurance companies started dropping midwifes as viable providers, and in some case driving it underground much in the same way the right to have abortions were driven to back alleys. Ask an OB their opinion and it tends to run the gambit: some like my OB who are open minded to it, and others who make the equivalent that homebirth has become the latest spa treatment.

And yet, here in Guatemala it seems they suffer from the exact opposite problem! I can see both sides.