Doctors Defend Fetal Monitoring Amid C-Section Debate

In November 2025, a debate has erupted over the use of fetal heart rate monitoring and its connection to the high C-section rates in the United States. The president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has responded to a recent article that tied the use of this technology to increases in cesarean procedures, arguing that the article oversimplified the clinical use of a complicated tool.

Obstetricians maintain that fetal heart rate monitoring is a critical tool for keeping mothers and babies safe, as they must make complex decisions during labor. While a concerning fetal heart rate should not immediately result in a C-section, it should prompt a series of assessments that may end in a cesarean delivery when necessary. The medical community, including the obstetricians' organization, has been working to lower the C-section rate and avoid related complications.

However, a certified nurse-midwife argues that the medicalization of childbirth, with the marginalization of midwifery, is a crucial factor behind the high C-section rates in the U.S. She points out that countries with the best birth outcomes and lowest cesarean rates embrace midwifery as a cornerstone of maternity care, and states with stronger midwifery integration have lower C-section rates.

Separately, the article also touches on a piece of theater history, revealing that a 1954 understudy slip for the musical "The Pajama Game" showed a young Shirley MacLaine stepping in for an injured cast member, which led to her being discovered by a Hollywood producer and the start of her illustrious acting career.