Turkey Bans Elective C-Sections at Private Hospitals to Encourage Natural Childbirth

As a measure to encourage natural childbirth, Turkey has formally banned elective Caesarean-section (C-section) procedures at private healthcare facilities except for medical necessity.

The new rule was released in the Official Gazette of Turkey on April 19, 2025, as part of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s wider “Healthy Türkiye Century” healthcare transformation initiative.

Turkey has the highest C-section rate among the OECD’s 38 member states at present, with 58.4% of all 2021 births by C-section. Health authorities have long feared unnecessary surgical births were causing complications for patients’ health and added expenses for healthcare.

Non-medically indicated scheduled C-sections will no longer be allowed in private hospitals according to the new regulation. Natural birth clinics and hospitals have to establish special birth units with specific structural conditions, including a minimum room size, independent entry-exit controls, and instant access to operating rooms.

This follows decades of government-backed campaigns, such as the “Natural is Normal” campaign, for promoting and ensuring vaginal births all across the country. President Erdoğan has repeatedly expressed the necessity for boosting the birth rate and family health, declaring 2025 as “The Year of the Family” following Turkey’s fertility rate dropping to a record low at 1.51 children per woman in 2023.

While government authorities justify the policy as a means to protect maternal health and prevent unnecessary medical intervention, the decision has been met with criticism by women’s rights activists and opposition lawmakers.

The opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP)’s Deputy Chairperson, Gökçe Gökçen, condemned the directive, saying:

“Don’t meddle in women’s affairs with your ignorance. Hands off women’s bodies.”

Opponents of the ban claim that it will take away women’s control over their own reproductive lives and may disproportionately impact those who require private care due to waiting lists or inadequate facilities in public hospitals. There are also concerns about how medical necessity will be defined and by whom the ultimate decision will be made in cases where life is threatened.

While the Turkish government argues that the reform is in the best interest of children and mothers, it must balance national health needs with the preservation of individual freedoms. There is still public debate about whether policies such as these should prioritize statistics or women’s rights, particularly in a country where healthcare gender equality remains contentious.

When the law takes effect, healthcare providers, patients, and patient advocates will be watching closely to how it affects maternity care and women’s rights across the country.