Hospital Births: Article Analysis

The current generations of people living in the United States are accustomed to hospital births. Hospital births have become very popular in the last century, with very little home births happening. “Are hospitals the safest place for healthy women to have babies?” is an article by Dr. Neel Shah, an obstetrician, that addresses the increasing danger of hospital births. This article is intended to persuade the reader and convince them that hospital births have become riskier for healthy women than in the past. The author uses evidence, such as facts and statistics, and reasoning to persuade the reader into believing that hospital births are not the best option for childbirth. According to Dr. Shah, the main reason for hospital births becoming

After mentioning that the number of C-sections has increased, he goes on to explain why by stating that it is “an easy surgery” and that “if the baby looks a little blue and lackluster right after [he does] a c-section, [he’s] convinced he did it just in time. But if the baby is pink and vigorous after [he] does a c-section, [he’s] still convinced [he] did it just in time” (Shah 2). This helps give the readers an idea of why the increase of C-sections is happening. There are many instances of reasoning inside of the article, however the more important thing is why it’s used. Many persuasive arguments must have reasons to back up the findings, as reasoning holds an argument together. The fact that Dr. Shah is explaining the reasons behind the C-sections helps the reader acknowledge that the author wants the reader to understand him better.

After the reader has read the article, it is clear to see that it is a persuasive argument. They may notice this since the author uses persuasive techniques, such as evidence and reasoning, to convince readers that hospital birth is dangerous compared to other options. Those two techniques are not the only ones seen within the article, they are only the tip of the iceberg. The fact that there are obvious persuasive techniques used leaves no doubt in the reader’s mind that this is a persuasive article in which the author believes that hospitals are not always the best place for