Articles: Obstetric Violence
Why Don’t We Report Assault in Sex and Birth?
There are two traumas that happen when an assault occurs. The first is the event itself. The second is when people you trust don’t believe you about it.
5 Obstetric Violence Prevention Tips
5 Obstetric Violence Prevention Tips: 1. Don't assault someone while they're giving birth. 2. When you are attending someone giving birth and you don’t have permission to touch them, don’t touch them. 3. Use the Buddy System! If it is difficult for you to stop...
Spain 2019: Four Case Studies of Lawsuits for Obstetric Violence
Spanish lawyers have filed claims against the state related to the violations of their clients’ human rights in childbirth–with themes of abuse in birth common around the globe.
“She’s Screaming Stop”: Forced Procedures Are Assault
“I interrupted and said ‘she said stop, take your hand out of her vagina right now, she said stop!’”
Birth Plans Are Never A Joke: Trust, Betrayal, and Misogyny in Maternity Care
Birth plans are women being smarter than hospitals when hospitals fail to follow humane, science-based practices. That they have to be written down and pre-approved by a doctor is evidence of how little women’s decisions in birth matter.
VIDEO: Hospitals Already Ban Vaginal Birth After Cesarean in Hospitals, Want to Ban it at Home
This short Birth Monopoly video looks at the reality families face in a state where, in many ways, hospitals have more control over birth than women do.
Letter to an Obstetrician: Forced Vaginal Procedures are Unethical, Traumatic
The performance of medical procedures without consent on a competent adult is unethical, unprofessional, and possibly illegal. More specifically, when a medical or midwifery professional administers a procedure without the consent of the pregnant or laboring...
“Birthrape & the Doula” with Amy Gilliland, Ph.D.
So what does a doula do when her client is being violated right in front of her?
Obstetrician Ethics: Awesome Guidelines from the National OBs’ Group
For pregnant people and those who work with them, these ethical concepts around their care are critical.
Mom Sues for Bait & Switch in Maternity Care
“As if birthing a baby isn’t hard enough, I gave birth while engaged in a physical struggle against the people I trusted to care for us.”
Nurse: Women are “Fabricating” Traumatic Birth Stories
Recently, a nurse wrote to Birth Monopoly about “seemingly fabricated traumatic birth stories.”
Nurses: Women Are *Not* “Fabricating” Birth Trauma
This first nurse’s comment gives us a pretty accurate peephole into an operating system that tells traumatized women, over and over: “Stop talking.”
Doctor, You’re Not Listening
So much trauma could be prevented by simply listening to and respecting the women giving birth.
Arizona Birth Monopoly: Mandatory Surgery or Forced Vaginal Exams
While some states are working hard to make maternity care safer, less expensive, and more humane, Arizona is going backwards, fast, led by its state Department of Health Services. New interpretation of existing state regulations that go into effect on July 1 impose...
You’re Not Allowed to Not Allow Me
The legal authority in childbirth lies with the woman giving birth, not the providers of care. Our words should reflect that.
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