Srinagar, April 14 -- On paper, cesarean section deliveries are meant to save lives - when things go wrong, they can be a blessing. But in recent years, far too many women across Jammu and Kashmir are undergoing C-sections not because they need them, but because they're being nudged, hurried, or frightened into them.

As a report in this newspaper reveals, it often begins with a phrase: "It's safer for the baby." Or, "We don't want to take risks." A doctor might mention a slightly large baby, or not enough "amniotic fluid"-medical terms that sound alarming, even if they're not backed by urgency. And just like that, a pregnant woman who comes in prepared for a normal delivery finds herself on an operating table, robbed of the chance to lab...