Universal rights
In some parts of the world, women’s movements have overcome significant opposition to secure basic political, economic, and reproductive rights, like the right to go to school, and to choose whether to conceive and bear children.
In other parts of the world, even these basic rights are a work in progress.
In recent years, there has been an emerging international recognition that human rights are at stake in maternity care. The human rights framework is a valuable tool for understanding the global problem of maternal mortality, morbidity, and perinatal mortality, and the obligations of governments to provide maternity care that is accessible and affordable to all citizens.
It is also helpful to understand the dynamics that occur between birthing women and their healthcare providers, and problems with medical intervention and abuse including the skyrocketing cesarean section rate.
“Some women are aware of the risks and potential benefits of these interventions and, backed by their support people, make a stand during labour against intervention. ”
BASHI HAZARD
HRiC Board member
WE
BELIEVE
IT IS
TIME…
…for these rights to be recognised and implemented, in law and practice, for birthing women everywhere.
For that to happen will require activism and advocacy. Work with the network in your own nation to figure out what these rights mean there, and to advocate for their more perfect realisation, as necessary.
