Cesarean Section: Surgical procedure in which a baby is delivered through a mother's abdomen

In the past, this was done when there was a great risk to the health of the mother, or when normal childbirth through the vagina was not possible. More recently, it has also been done on request, without these reasons. In very rare cases, abortions are performed using this procedure, these are called Hysterotomy abortions. The first person to perform a modern Cesarean section was Ferdinand Adolf Kehrer, in 1881. In Latin, it is called Sectio caesarea, in English, the spelling Caesarean section also exists.

The rate of babies delivered through Cesarean section varies: It is at a record level of 46% in China; levels of 25% and above are common in many Asian and European countries, Latin America, and the United States.

From about the 6th century, there was Roman law that stated that a living foetus may not be buried with the mother, The Digest notes this to be a "lex regia". If this were the case, it would date from the time around 700 BC, when there were Roman kings.