Perk Up

Join me for a rich bold jazzy converstion with Theresa Morris, author of Cut It Out: the C-Section Epidemic in America.  Professor Morris' primary areas of specialization are Organizational Theory, Sociology of Reproduction and Birth, Political Sociology, and Sex and Gender. Theresa challenges most existing explanations of the unprecedented rise in c-section rates, which locate the cause of this trend in physicians practicing defensive medicine, women choosing c-sections for scheduling reasons, or women’s poor health and older ages. Morris’s explanation of the c-section epidemic is more complicated, taking into account the power and structure of legal, political, medical, and professional organizations; gendered ideas that devalue women; hospital organizational structures and protocols; and professional standards in the medical and insurance communities. She argues that there is a new culture within medicine that avoids risk or unpredictable outcomes and instead embraces planning and conservative choices, all