In an article from the Maternal Health Task Force (n.d.), it was mentioned that Respectful Maternity Care is something that is constantly evolving, and has been around for years, for it to be more inclusive and diverse over different perspectives and frameworks. Advocacies about humanizing birth and viewing it in a more holistic way were also raised, also because of the incidences of obstetric violence, wherein healthcare workers display acts of bullying and coercion towards pregnant women during birth.
Because of the growing concern regarding obstetric violence, Bowser and Hill listed down seven categories that are considered as disrespectful and abusive during childbirth, in a 2010 landscape analysis. Later in 2015, these were updated into Physical abuse, Sexual abuse Verbal abuse, Stigma and discrimination, Failure to meet professional standards of care, Poor rapport between women and providers, and Health system conditions and constraints. It was also discovered that those belonging in ethnic groups are more at risk of experiencing this unfair treatment. Moreover, other factors may also contribute to this, including socioeconomic status, parity, age and the partner’s race.
Rather than it being an issue of quality of care, Respectful Maternity Care is a human right. The World Health Organization stated that, “every woman has the right to the highest attainable standard of health, including the right to dignified, respectful care during pregnancy and childbirth.” They released a framework including six strategic areas to help build a systematic, evidence-based approach for providing quality care, which are Clinical guidelines, Standards of care, Effective interventions, Quality measures, and Relevant research and capability building. Despite all these, many women all over the world still experience this disrespect during childbirth.
After reading this article, I find it very alarming that women experience this kind of treatment from healthcare workers. Healthcare personnels should be the ones providing care, not risking their patients for further harm. Above all, they must be empathetic and understanding, and those types of foul behavior should never be tolerated. Just like what was said in the article, RMC is a human right, meaning women should experience it at all times. There is still a long way to go before every woman is assured that they will be treated with genuine care during pregnancy and childbirth, but hopefully, as we go on, the number of cases of maltreatment would decrease.
References
Respectful Maternity Care – Maternal Health Task Force. (n.d.). Maternal Health Task Force. Retrieved February 21, 2022, from https://www.mhtf.org/topics/respectful-maternity-care/