Responding to multiple requests for information and guidance, Pregnancy Justice and the Birth Rights Bar Association have created a resource for people who encounter mistreatment, abuse, and human rights violations during childbirth. Unfortunately, when people experience a violation during childbirth it can be particularly hard to find legal redress for the harms they experience. That is why we want pregnant people and their supporters to have their own tools for recognizing and responding to violations.
In addition, this resource is particularly timely in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. As our health care structures struggle to meet people's needs, as inequities are magnified, and as politicians in some states use the pandemic as an excuse to deny pregnant people the right to an abortion, we know that those who are continuing their pregnancies are also facing new barriers and unparalleled uncertainty. As a result, it is more important than ever for everyday people to have resources to prevent and/or respond to human rights violations during childbirth and beyond.
Please watch for our Spanish-language version coming soon. And please share the resource with your family, friends, colleagues, and social networks.