a cesarean section (often called a c-section) is a kind of surgery, which is usually done to make childbirth easier. in the past, this was done when there was a great risk to the health of the mother, or when normal childbirth through the vagina was not possible. more recently, it has also been done on request, without these reasons. in very rare cases, abortions are performed using this procedure, these are called hysterotomy abortions. the first person to perform a modern cesarean section was ferdinand adolf kehrer, in 1881. in latin, it is called "sectio caesarea", in english, the spelling caesarean section also exists.