WUNRN
http://humanrightsinchildbirth.com/about/
The mission of Human Rights in Childbirth is to advocate
for the recognition– in policy and reality– of every birthing woman’s
fundamental human rights.
We exist
to:
1.
Connect people with resources in their region who work to advance the birthing
rights of their local populations.
2. Educate
by tracking the legal and political events that influence pregnant people’s
rights in childbirth, and disseminate this information to providers, lawmakers,
and families through conferences and published materials.
3. Advocate by coordinating legal advocacy, grassroots
mobilization, legislative work, and media outreach to advance human rights in
childbirth.
http://humanrightsinchildbirth.com/universal-rights/
Universal
Rights
Human
rights are women’s rights, because women are human too. The last century has
seen a long struggle, around the world, for legal recognition of that basic
fact. 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 vote, 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. The list, below, is an
attempt to identify the human rights at stake around childbirth. We do not
claim that it is exhaustive. And we do not claim that these rights are
protected, by law, where you live. Even if these rights are recognized under
your nation’s constitution, or treaties to which it is a signatory, they may be
forgotten in maternity care. That’s why HRiC came into being: Because we
believe that it is time for these rights to be recognized 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
realization, as necessary.
§ Right to Refuse Medical Treatment