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ACOG is acronym for the American Congress of Obstetricians and gynecologists. ACOG is an organization comprised of obstetricians and gynecologist who have completed a two part exam and then are nominated by existing members. ACOG states on their website that they are a "private, voluntary, nonprofit membership organization." (http://www.acog.org/from_home/acoginfo.cfm, about ACOG, 2011) Although they are a nonprofit organization the "recommendations" they make imply that profit is indeed their motive. ACOG is known to make medical recommendations regarding child birth, including both pre and post natal care. As Marsden Wagner covers in his book "Born in the USA" many of the recommendation made by ACOG are made to benefit Obstetricians and many recommendations are made although they lack sufficient evidence or statistical power. It is not much of a surprise that ACOG favors ob/gyn’s since that is what the organization is comprised of. Because they have such a monopoly over the world of child birth they have the ability to control many ob/gyn’s and how they practice. Not to mention the schooling required to become an obstetrician teaches one to become a specialized surgeon. This obviously implies that birth is not a natural state but rather a medical disease issue in need of curing. This is the mindset that has turned our child birth system in to what it is. With C-section rates in New York at over 30 percent it is obvious that those in power have implemented a system and way of thinking in which birth has become a medical issue rather than a natural occurrence. ACOG is in support of the current system and is opposed to the idea of home births and midwifery. Although, it is obvious that ACOG’s purpose is to help women deliver children their methods have become corrupt, are inefficient, and are causing many of the issue people seek to get away from.

Cesarean sections have been climbing at an alarming rate with some New York City hospitals with rates over 70 percent. So why is it that cesareans have become more popular. Simply enough it is the most convenient form of childbirth, for the obstetrician. Rather than letting birth take its natural course which can take a varying amount of hours and many times requires care into late nights and early mornings, it is easier to simply perform a surgery and be done with the birth. As explained very well in the documentary “The Business of Being Born” many of the reasons and problems that arise which lead to the necessity of a C-section is caused by the obstetricians and hospital staff themselves. It is very common for the drug Pitocin to be used to help induce labor when a woman is not dilating fast enough to fit the hospital staff’s wants. This is not surprising given the environment of a hospital, having a doctor or nurse yell at you to push or control your birth does not allow for much relaxation which is of course necessary in having a smooth, quicker delivery. Because the Pitocin causes the women to go into labor and have more rapid and extreme contractions a pain killer is usually needed to alleviate the pain. The most common form is an epidural which basically numbs the woman from waist down so she does not feel the pain of the fake induction. The epidural however slows down the contractions which then lead to the need of more Pitocin. However, once too much Pitocin is used and the contractions become too rapid and extreme the baby access to oxygen becomes compromised in which the doctors then deem it necessary to have a C-section. While the doctors feel heroic and have the mothers believe they “saved” her baby, many times they are the ones who cause the complication to begin with. This is not to say all C-sections are a result of this or all obstetricians practice in such a way. However, as seen in the documentary this is not in any way uncommon. One of the most moving scenes is in a hospital, in which a chart is showing of all women in labor. Practically all their names are marked with three letters “Pit”, which of course stands for Pitocin. It is quite unlikely that all these women could not induce the child naturally so one is almost forced to come to the conclusion that the impatience and insensitivity of the hospital staff is leading to much unnecessary complications.

ACOG being comprised of obstetricians obviously supports hospital child birth. One of the most effective and common tactics they use in persuading mothers is fear. As they state in one of their recommendations “Women inquiring about planned home birth should be informed of its risks and benefits based on recent evidence. Specifically, they should be informed that although the absolute risk may be low, planned home birth is associated with a twofold to threefold increased risk of neonatal death when compared with planned hospital birth.” (The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Issues Opinion on Planned Home Births, January 2011) Although they say they respect a woman’s choice they use scare tactics to influence an anti-home birth mentality. In one of their other recommendations Dr. Richard Waldman is quoted saying “As physicians, we have an obligation to provide families with information about the risks, benefits, limitations and advantages concerning the different maternity care providers and birth settings.” However, the bias in the information being provided greatly benefits ob/gyn’s. The risk of midwifery and home birth becoming mainstream means fewer patients for ob/gyn’s and in turn less money. Therefore, having all recommendations made by an organization that is looking to benefit its members, which is understandable although unethical, does not truly give women a fair informed decision. ACOG is indeed a nonprofit organization but their motive is still profit. Although the profit is not for the benefit of the organization it is for the benefit of the members. Therefore, in having such a biased system it is essential that women be provided with objective information about the risk of home birth, but more importantly the risk of hospital birth.


1. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Issues Opinion
on Planned Home Births, Jan. 2011

2. (New ACOG Opinion on Home Birth Touts Rights, Nixes HBAC and CPMs, Jill Arnold, 2011, http://www.theunnecesarean.com/blog/2011/1/21/new-acog-opinion-on-home-birth-touts-rights-nixes-hbac-and-c.html)

3. C-Section Rates Continue To Climb Across City, kafi Drexel, 2008, http://www.ny1.com/content/ny1_living/health/84398/c-section-rates-continue-to-climb-across-city/

4. About ACOG, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2011