And isn't that one year of maternity leave in Scandinavia MANDITORY with partial pay?

We have seriously missed the mark on birthing in this country.

Can I have the soapbox, now? All the lip service American Society pays to "family values" and "pro-family" seems like some sort of longing for a lost Eisenhower era; where women had very little standing outside the home, and men participated in the family by going to work and earning money for new cars. This sort of sick ideal was bad for both mother and father. I never connected with my father very well, as he was always working, and my mother really wanted to have a career, but didn't feel like she could, or should.

On the other side, both my boys were born at home, and we had a midwife instead of a doctor and hospital. But I was fortunate that my health insurance covered it. My employer changed carriers, and now it wouldn't fly.

Okay, I'm done now.

Just saying we have a relatively high rate of mortality doesn't really say anything because it doesn't address the reasons for that mortality. It isn't going to be from c-sections or working mothers. It is going to be from people who don't take advantage of the resources that were put there for there and don't take care of themselves or their baby. You can't go around abusing crack or meth every day and have a healthy baby. You can't blow off going for prenatal care and simply show up at an emergency room when you are in labor ... or worse, toss the baby into a dumpster or bathroom trashcan.

The reason for the higher rate of infant mortality is that we in this country have the right to make poor choices as well as good ones. Nobody comes to a pregnant woman's door with a gun and forces her to a clinic. We throw millions of dollars at programs for care for indigent mothers. The care is there but you can't make them use it. We have a larger number of people in this country who simply don't give a damn about their baby or their own body than other countries do. And what kind of person do you think the daughter of such a person would be when she grows up? And so the problem perpetuates to the next generation.

It isn't OUR fault. Sometimes it is THEIR fault.

By the way, you can blame lawyers like John Edwards for the higher c-section rate. He specialized in bringing lawsuits against doctors whenever there was any complication with a child who was born naturally. He argued that it wouldn't have happened if there was a c-section. So now doctors want to do a c-section to avoid being sued. Edwards was especially into suits involving cerebral palsy. Trouble is, the c-section rate skyrocketed in South Carolina and the CP rate stayed about the same. No matter, damage done.

I come from Scotland, the heroin capital of the world! I'd be surprised if we had more drug addicts per capita than the UK.

But I have no idea, really! It's all conjecture. :)

P.S. Geekster... no offense taken! Disagreeing isn't a bad thing. :)