Respectful maternity care is defined as “care organized for and provided to all women in a manner that maintains their dignity, privacy and confidentiality, ensures freedom from harm and mistreatment, and enables informed choice and continuous support during labor and childbirth” (WHO, 2018). However, in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous revisions on maternity care have emerged–many of which oppose the provisions of respectful maternity care.
Many adopted policies and practices to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 infections have aggravated the experiences of pregnant women being denied access to quality and respectful maternity care. For instance, dependence on online medical consultation has been negatively impacted by the digital divide, in which those living in areas with little to no access to communication technologies or those with poor technical literacy are being deprived of adequate prenatal care. Pregnant women were also deprived of an option to have a safe and positive childbirth experience as restrictions against having a companion during labor and delivery were imposed amidst the pandemic (Hovhannisyan & Karijo, 2020). In addition, women have also experienced being neglected in emergency circumstances and denied access to various intrapartum and postpartum care (Jolivet, et al., 2020). These imposed restrictions violate not only women’s right to health, but also their rights to information and non-discrimination, among others.
Respectful maternity care is a human right; pregnant women should not be subjected to programs and practices that infringe on their rights (Reingold, et al., 2020). While it is true that some revisions on maternity care may be justified by the pandemic, it should also be noted that these changes should be strictly necessary and least restrictive to pregnant women. These restrictions set by the pandemic should, in any way, mortify pregnant women and restrain them from accessing quality maternity care. After all, respectful maternity care is all about upholding women’s health, dignity, and well-being.
References:
Hovhannisyan, A., & Karijo, A. (2020, July 16). How has COVID-19 affected women’s rights during childbirth? Help us track this globally. Open Democracy. https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/womens-rights-during-childbirth-help-us-track-globally/.
Jolivet, R. R., Warren, C. E., Sripad, P., Ateva, E., Gausman, J., Mitchell, K., Hacker, H. P., Sacks, E., & Langer, A. (2020). Upholding rights under COVID-19: The respectful maternity care charter. Health and Human Rights, 22(1), 391–394. https://www.hhrjournal.org/2020/05/upholding-rights-under-covid-19-the-respectful-maternity-care-charter/
Reingold, R. B., Barbosa, I., & Mishori, R. (2020). Respectful maternity care in the context of COVID-19: A human rights perspective. Int J Gynecol Obstet, 151(3), 319-321.
World Health Organization. (2018, February 7). WHO recommendations: Intrapartum care for a positive childbirth experience. World Health Organization Website; World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241550215