End coercive practices in maternity care
Coercion has no place in maternity care.
In 2025, more than 20% (112) of the service users supported by our Information and Advice Service referred to the use of coercive practices. The high number of reports was the starting point for our campaign to end coercive and discriminatory policies and practices in maternity care and to protect the rights of all women, birthing people, and healthcare professionals.
For our ‘End Coercion in Maternity Care in the UK’ Report, we heard from nearly 300 people who shared their experiences of coercion: whether directly as the pregnant person affected, or those who witnessed coercive actions from colleagues or others within the system. Their experiences demonstrate patterns of behaviour that compromise informed consent, bodily autonomy, and trust in care.
Our key findings reveal structural racism and discrimination in maternity care, alongside the widespread use of coercive practices and inappropriate referrals, reinforced by a culture of fear among maternity care professionals that undermines safe, personalised and rights-respecting care.
A maternity system that protects the rights of women and birthing people during pregnancy and birth is essential to reducing trauma, providing safe care, improving outcomes for all and addressing racial disparities. We truly hope that the evidence contained in our report from women, birthing people, healthcare professionals, birth workers and community groups, can be used to plan better care in the future.
Resources
We’ve developed some resources for women and birthing people and healthcare professionals who are impacted by coercion in maternity care. These are available to download, print and share below.
- Understanding Coercion – “What is coercion in maternity care?”
- Your Right to Make Your Own Decisions in Maternity Care – “What are my legal rights in maternity care?”
Watch our ‘End Coercion in Maternity Care’ Report Launch Webinar
Thank you so much to everyone who attended our report launch webinar, and for your contributions to the highly engaging discussions and valuable insights shared. Special shoutout to our super panel Leah Hazard, Hazel Williams, Laura Mullarkey, Amisha Abeyawardene and our fabulous chair and Birthrights trustee Dr Annabel Sowemimo.
That is why we launched this campaign to end coercive and discriminatory policies and practices in maternity care and to protect the rights of all women, birthing people, and healthcare professionals.
Women and birthing people are too often told their choices are “out of guidance,” leading to judgement, threats of safeguarding or social services referrals, capacity assessments, and in some cases even police involvement.
Midwives who support personalised decisions or speak up when rights are ignored can be bullied or reported to the NMC. Maternity care in the UK is increasingly shaped by a blame culture that prioritises Trust liability over personalised, rights-based care, putting both women and birthing people and healthcare professionals at risk.
Blanket application of guidelines, fear of personal repercussions, and inconsistent practices mean that women and birthing people who make informed, personalised choices, especially Black, Brown, migrant, and marginalised women and birthing people, are too often labelled “out of guidance” and met with coercion, safeguarding referrals, or even legal threats. Those less able to advocate for themselves are denied crucial information, deepening inequities and clinical risk. Healthcare professionals who support them face threats of disciplinary action and isolation.
This culture undermines informed choice, perpetuates systemic racism, and causes lasting trauma for women and birthing people and professionals alike.
We already know what’s broken with the system. Communities have said what they need, again and again. The problem isn’t a lack of insight; it’s a lack of action. We’re tired of the same loop of reviews and initiatives that do not translate into concrete improvements.
It’s time to break the cycle. We’re setting the agenda ourselves, grounded in what we hear from communities, to build a maternity care system that truly works for everyone.
Our End Coercive Practices campaign calls for a system where every woman and birthing person can make informed, autonomous decisions about their care, free from stigma, coercion, or punishment, and where healthcare professionals are supported, not punished, for providing safe, personalised, rights-based care.
Join our fight and share your experiences with us via email at [email protected]. If you are part of a community or collective group, get in touch to join forces, co-produce resources, and help hold the system accountable. Together, we can create a maternity care system where every choice is respected, every voice is heard, and coercion has no place.
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