International Cesarean Awareness Network

Santa Barbara Families Protest Hospital Ban on Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC)

June 23rd Rally Highlights Plight of Cesarean Mothers

Santa Barbara, CA, June 23, 2008 – Dozens of parents and concerned community members, supported by the Birth Action Coalition and the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN), will rally outside Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara on June 23rd at 11a.m. against the hospital’s refusal to allow them a natural birth. Women in Santa Barbara County who have previously given birth by cesarean section have been banned since 2003 from choosing a vaginal birth at Cottage Hospital. This policy is part of a growing national trend. The International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN) has documented vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) bans at 280 hospitals nationwide. Rally supporters will gather to raise awareness about the VBAC ban and to request that it be reversed.

The Birth Action Coalition’s goal is to "work to create supportive birth environments in the Ventura and Santa Barbara areas.  read more »

 For Immediate Release

Insurance Companies Rejecting Women with History of Cesarean

Some Companies Require Surgical Sterilization for Coverage;

Trend Gives New Imperative to Learn Ways to Avoid Unnecessary Cesarean

Redondo Beach, CA, June 1, 2008 – As reported in today’s New York Times, ICAN has begun tracking an alarming new trend of insurance companies refusing to provide health insurance for women with a history of cesarean surgery. In some cases, women are being rejected for coverage outright and in other case they are being charged significantly higher rates to obtain the same coverage as women without a history of cesarean. With over a million women each year undergoing this surgery, this practice has the potential to render large numbers of women uninsurable.  read more »