Turkey’s health ministry has fined more than 100 obstetrician-gynaecologists for carrying out cesarean sections, suspending them from duty and forcing them to undergo training.The country has the highest rate of C-section births among the OECD’s 38 nations, according to the last available data from 2023, with around 615 such procedures out of every 1,000 live births that year.Medical professionals said C-sections were more time-efficient for medical staff – 30 minutes, versus 12 hours for a traditional delivery – and lowered the risk of legal action over complications, ensuring a guarantee of safety for both the doctor and the woman.Last year, the Turkish government began a campaign to tackle falling birth rates under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “Decade of the Family” initiative that has seen it move to exert greater control over how women give birth.Erdogan, a pious Muslim who is pushing for women to have so-called natural births, wants to address Turkey’s record number of elective C-section births, with his government in April 2025 banning such procedures at private healthcare facilities without medical justification.Women shout slogans during a protest, ahead of the Nato leaders’ summit, in Istanbul, Turkey, on Sunday. Photo: ReutersAccording to Turkish media, more than 100 doctors have been fined for performing C-sections, citing figures provided by medical associations across the country, sparking a backlash from healthcare professionals.