A spate of inappropriate referrals has recently come to our attention, involving both women and birthing people and healthcare professionals.
These referrals are putting safety in maternity care at risk.
No one can feel safe under these conditions.
Women and birthing people, especially those from Black, Brown, and marginalised communities, are being threatened with social services referrals or capacity assessments simply for making personalised choices.
Midwives, again disproportionately those from Black, Brown, and marginalised communities, who support those choices, speak out against rights violations are being isolated, bullied, and reported to the NMC.
This culture of fear and punishment diminishes trust, undermines safety, and deepens existing inequalities.
It silences both the people accessing care and the professionals providing it, while allowing systemic racism and human rights violations to continue unchecked.
We demand that the human rights of all women and birthing people – including safety, dignity, autonomy and equality – are respected and upheld in maternity care.
That is why we are calling on the government to introduce a SAFE Maternity Care Act to uphold all women and birthing people’s right to choose where, how, and with whom they want to give birth, and to ensure the state meets its obligation to provide safe, respectful, and accessible care for all.