1. c-section mortality and complication rates are often not separated between the women who get c-sections pre-scheduled and women who get them after hours of damaging labor and something already going horribly wrong. In fact, when I looked at the data for my own c-section, it seemed to indicate that scheduled c-sections were as safe if not safer than vaginal birth.
2. Vaginal birth leads to lifelong incontinence and sexual dysfunction in many women. Would I take a miniscule chance of death in exchange for not peeing my pants for the next 50 years? Yes. In exchange for having a way higher chance of a pain-free sex life again? Yes. Quality of life matters. Your relationship with your partner and with your own body matters. So many of these studies basically end in the hospital - i.e. did mom and baby survive, but then do not look at long-term outcomes of the MOM at all. I know many women with these issues. Women with horrific tearing and scarring, too. They're still dealing with it years later. It's not trivial even though these studies make it sound like the only thing is whether you live, not how you live.
3. c-sections do not carry the risk of baby being deprived of oxygen during birth. No risk of cord getting stuck around the head, etc. The people trying to convince me that I shouldn't have a c-section because of very ambiguous studies dealing with asthma or allergies are totally missing the forest for the trees on this one.
Lastly, and this is an experiential point from someone who has actually had a c-section: the whole thing was completely painless. I was on my feet the same day. I only had a bit of trouble going from laying to standing in the first couple of days, but I otherwise was in pain and could walk, sit, take care of the baby, everything else. By the time I was out of the hospital on day 5 I felt completely back to normal and could do anything and everything. Is it major surgery? Sure. But I can tell you that women who had vaginal deliveries were still in pain weeks after the delivery and for months if they had extensive tearing or episiotomies. Most of my friends on the "natural" train, now having done that and seen my experience in comparison, wish they hadn't gone that route because they're still dealing with the damage it caused them.