Birthrights Day
On the 26 September, we are launching the first Birthrights Day to shine a light on women and birthing peoples’ basic human rights in maternity care with the slogan – Your body. Your birth. Your rights.
Birthrights has chosen the 26 September for this awareness day because it is the most common day to be born in England and Wales, with Office for National Statistics analysis showing an average of around 2,000 births on that date, compared with around 1,800 if births were evenly distributed across the year for other dates. The late-September peak makes 26 September a powerful moment to talk about what respectful, rights-based maternity care should look like for every woman and birthing person.
On one of the busiest days in the maternity calendar, Birthrights Day highlights that systemic racism, lack of safe staffing and toxic work cultures are leading to rushed care, denied choices, and systemic human rights violations. Whether someone is giving birth on 26 September or any other day of the year, the message remains the same: Your body. Your birth. Your rights.
Birthrights Day is an opportunity to remind everyone that maternity rights are not optional extras — they belong to every woman and birthing person. Everyone deserves to be listened to, respected and supported to make informed decisions about their care and what happens to their body in pregnancy and childbirth, free from discrimination.
Your human rights in maternity care include:
- 1) “The right to be listened to. ”
- 2) “The right to clear information.”
- 3) “The right to make informed decisions about your body and your care.”
- 4) “The right to give accept or say no to any care or treatment you are offered. ”
- 5) “The right to be treated with dignity and respect.”
- 6) “The right to receive care without discrimination.”
To share your support for the first ever Birthrights Day, we encourage you to post a selfie (photo or video) on social media on Saturday 26 September 2026 with the hashtag #YourBodyYourBirthYourRights and #BirthrightsDay to help spread awareness of human rights in maternity care.
About Birthrights
Birthrights exists to protect human rights in childbirth and provides advice, resources, campaigning and research to support people to understand and assert their rights in maternity care.