In Turkish, “normal doğum” refers to vaginal birth. But the term itself is anything but neutral. By naming one method “normal,” it quietly casts others — cesareans in particular — as “abnormal”. For women who undergo C-sections, whether for medical reasons or out of their own choice, the implication is clear: you failed to deliver the “natural” way. In fact, a Health Ministry ran a public ad two years ago that did just that: in a clumsily-shot clip, a baby just delivered by vaginal birth tells the mother that they “succeeded.”
The contested term has once again taken center stage — not in a hospital, but on a football pitch.
Before kick-off in the Sivasspor–Fenerbahçe match on April 13, players entered the field holding a banner: “Doğal olan normal doğum” (“What’s natural is normal birth,”), echoing the government’s line. The slogan, paraded by eleven men in soccer kits, provoked a nationwide backlash. One of the players, Albanian striker Rey Manaj, said he didn’t understand the Turkish message. Upon learning its meaning, he posted a quick apology: “Your body, your decision.” He has now done more for gender equality than many press conferences combined.
The controversy tapped into a long-running policy obsession. Cesarean rates in Turkey hover around 61%. President Erdoğan has spoken on the topic for over a decade. In a 2012 speech at Diyarbakir, a town with high birth rates and few hospitals, he called C-sections a “plot” to freeze the population, citing both morality and demographics: Cesareans limit the number of children a woman can have, and “this nation needs a young, dynamic population,” he insisted.
First Lady Emine Erdoğan has since taken up the mantle with a softer, if no less prescriptive, tone. Speaking in Ankara last year, she described “normal birth” as a miracle — biologically wise, emotionally rich, and essential for mother-child bonding. Cesareans, she warned, were too often sold as convenient shortcuts, masking their risks. She praised provinces such as Konya, where midwife-led initiatives had reportedly brought down the numbers.
No one disputes that vaginal birth is often the safer choice when medically possible. But critics argue that the government’s messaging is more cultural than clinical. It is less about informed choice and more about the “right” kind of womanhood — strong, fertile, and ideally giving birth the way her grandmother did.
CHP leader Özgür Özel, addressing the campaign in Parliament, delivered a now-famous line: “How many children a woman has, how she gives birth, how she dresses, laughs, or eats — these are her choices.” Actress Başak Gümülcinelioğlu put it more cheekily: “Maybe with enough technology, men will start giving birth too. Naturally, of course.”
Alas, science may not advance fast enough to benefit our president — who already seems to know everything about childbirth, from how many children women should bear to how they should deliver and raise them.
