Women feel coerced during maternity care in England, charity says

"I remember a doctor saying to me: You can choose to have a C-section now or you can wait a few hours and I'll press that buzzer behind your head and you'll have one anyway. This statement exemplifies the coercive language used by healthcare professionals that removes genuine choice from women regarding their maternity care and medical procedures."

"For my second birth, I was all set and approved for a VBAC [vaginal birth after caesarean], but when I went to hospital experiencing Braxton Hicks I was told that I'd be scheduled for a C-section without any conversation as to why. I felt like I didn't have a choice, I felt that I was spoken to like a child doing something wrong."

"This crucial report documents the rise in coercive practices as a systemic problem across the maternity system, with Black and Brown women and birthing people facing the worst attacks on their autonomy and reproductive rights during pregnancy and childbirth."

Birthrights, a charity, surveyed 300 people in England regarding coercive practices in maternity settings. The report reveals that caregivers frequently use authoritative language that prevents women from making informed decisions about their care. Women report being denied admission to birth centres unless they accept vaginal examinations, pressured into inductions without explanation, and forced into caesarean sections without understanding the medical necessity. Healthcare professionals often speak to women in belittling ways, treating them like children rather than autonomous adults capable of understanding their medical options. The report identifies coercive practices as a systemic problem across the maternity system, with particular impacts on Black and Brown women.

Read at www.theguardian.com