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"Caesarean section is often associated with improved reproductive health and the rights associated with it. In developing countries, it is seldom practised in certain contexts, placing women’s health at risk and depriving them of their reproductive rights ; while in others its high frequency is controversial. This article discusses the complex relationship between caesarean delivery and health and reproductive rights. Is the widespread use of caesarean section a limit to reproductive health and an impediment to the exercise of reproductive rights ? The analysis is based primarily on a review of the medical, epidemiological and public health literature, as this issue has rarely been addressed in the social sciences. The article focuses on the Latin American subcontinent, which is particularly concerned by the “epidemic of caesarean sections”."