International Cesarean Awareness Network

ICAN seeks to be a primary media resource for stories about cesarean. You can help raise ICAN awareness among the media by writing letters to the editor. Some guidelines:

• Limit the length of your letter to 250 words or less.
• Include your full name, address and phone number at the end of the letter. Editors frequently call for confirmation before publishing letters.
• Reference a previously published article, such as "In response to your article "Patient-Choice Cesareans, …"
• Offer first-hand knowledge of issues related to cesareans, but don’t specifically name health care workers or facilities. This avoids issues of libel/slander. For example, it’s ok to say "I experienced one of the risks of cesarean when my bladder was nicked during the surgery." It’s not ok to say, "When my baby was delivered by cesarean at Jonesville County Hospital, Dr. Smith nicked my bladder."

Direct readers to ICAN for information and support. For example:

• Mention the date/time/place of your next local chapter meeting
• Cite a white paper on the ICAN website that you found particularly informative
• Encourage readers to join the ICAN eList for VBAC/cesarean recovery support
• Encourage readers to subscribe to the eNews for more information

For further assistance composing letters to the editor, email advocacyican-online.org">Gretchen Humphries, Advocacy Director.