Unusual and unnecessary C-Section practices in Bangladesh: Violation of respect for autonomy principle and absence of social equity in health care system

Since last decade, Bangladesh has witnessed alarming acceleration in caesarean surgery childbirth rates that facilitates health service providers with some social and moral charges. At the end of 2016, such practice exceeds the standard perimeter of C-section which is 31 percent while it was only at 3% in 2001 (WHO, 2017). This paper examines the foremost socio-moral influential factors that inflame women and medical professional’s toper from C-section frequently in Bangladesh. How this practice infringes the biomedical principle of respect for autonomy has been focused in the light of Beauchamp & Childress’s idea of biomedical ethics along with the concept of social equity in health of Dahlgren-Whitehead’s (1991) ‘Rainbow Model’. Data from Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), World Health Organization (WHO), a number of empirical case study, reports, books, articles, and some web resources have been used for this mixed methodological study. Finding shows that financial incentives and maternal preferences are significantly contributing to such uprising number of C-section practice which severely contravenes the ethical principles of health care. Therefore, some reformed medical policies are required for both patients and medical professionals in this regard.