Protecting human rights in childbirth
Registered Charity Number 1151152
Longer reads, analysis and your stories
Birthrights’ Policy and Campaigns Manager, Ann-Marie Agyeman, shares her reflections from the team’s September away day which focused on living out our anti-racism value.
The first Birthrights Day is being launched on 26 September to shine a light on women and birthing peoples’ basic human rights in maternity care with the slogan – Your body. Your birth. Your rights.
Megan is a mother of five. Here she looks back at her experiences of coercion during maternity and labour…
CP v Spain: Why a major European court ruling on maternity care is a wake-up call for bodily autonomy rights
Sarah knows only too well the long-term impacts that can happen as a result of birth trauma. Her experience of being coerced into a caesarean birth (her second) not only affected her mental health but robbed her of the redemptive birth experience she was hoping for. Here is her story…
Lucy* has had two babies and two very different birth experiences. Here in her own words, she talk about the coercion she experienced with her first baby…
In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court of Victoria has found an Australian hospital guilty of battery and negligence for pressuring a woman to accept a vaginal exam in labour that she did not want. She received damages totalling nearly AUS$300k. So how is this case relevant to the UK?
When talking about supporting informed decision-making in maternity, the consent form is a topic that comes up time and again. We are aware that, as part of a broader trend towards defensive practice, some trusts have been increasing their use of consent forms, in the (mistaken) belief that they offer a cloak of legal protection.
Experienced mum Hannah* tells us about the coercion she faced in the lead up to giving birth to her third child.
Birthrights has been informed by our CRM provider, Beacon, of a security incident that may have affected information held on its platform.