Birth

Is a Human Rights Issue A:___

by Jan Tritten|
This article first appeared in Midwifery Today, Issue 92, Winter 2009/2010.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men [and women] are created B :___
equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that
among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”(US Declaration of
Independence)

Every mother and baby has the right to be treated with reverence and respect during the
birth process, including pregnancy and beyond.

When a woman becomes pregnant, she and her baby have unalienable rights. C:___
First, the right to life: In June of this year, the United Nations Human Rights
Council adopted a landmark resolution acknowledging maternal mortality and
morbidity as a human rights issue.(1) The adoption of this resolution prods governments to
“change the way they view maternal death—that is, as a human rights issue no less serious
than executions, arbitrary detentions, or torture.”(2)

Next, the right to liberty: The word “liberty” contains aspects of freedom, D:___
independence, autonomy, emancipation. These concepts are not usually
considered in relation to the childbearing year. It is time to declare that mothers
and babies have the right to liberty in pregnancy and birth.

Finally, the pursuit of happiness is of utmost importance to those of us who care E:___
for mothers and babies. Most births around the world lead to some varying degree
of preventable trauma for the mother and baby. I say it is preventable because
much of it is iatrogenic, caused by the doctor or midwife. In many cases, if the mother, baby
and birthing process had been treated with respect, the trauma would possibly have never
taken place. Instead, the mother likely would have had the most miraculous experience of her
life. At the very least, she would have felt a part of the decision-making process if things still
did not go as planned. Birth today is a doctor dictatorship in many practices and in many
hospitals. Mothers and babies are missing the healthiest possible beginning, both physically
and emotionally. Their human rights are being violated.

Pregnancy and birth are usually the most crucial and powerful passages in a F:___
woman’s life. This can be perceived by the mother as either a powerfully great
experience or a traumatic ordeal. Mom will generally have one of these reactions
and those feelings will last her entire life, even if they are buried in the busy job of mothering.
She will either soar at the thought of her birth or be driven to the depths of sorrow, especially
in this age of the cesarean cut. The same is true of the way the birth experience imprints on
the baby. Though he or she may not consciously remember it, the experience will have many
life-long effects on the child.

In most of the world, birth practices almost always lead to the traumatic side of G:___
birth. This is so unnecessary because women have within them the ability and the
instinct to have a great childbearing experience. The importance of breastfeeding
has finally been proven, yet traumatic birth experiences often add up to the inability to
breastfeed long-term. A mother who has had the natural oxytocin high from her birth is much
more likely to be successful in breastfeeding her child. I wonder if this oxytocin effect can last
longer than we are able to record now. Midwives and doulas are key, because they spend the
time making a crucial relationship with the family. Their nurturance is key to any system of
health.

We have caused incredible trauma in the birth room and in nearly every H:___
pregnancy. When I first started practicing homebirth 33 years ago we had not
invaded the uterus. Moms at least made it through pregnancy without too much
worry and trauma. Even our words now cause trauma and worry. A woman should come out
of every prenatal visit with a renewed sense of well-being and confidence. Instead, our words
are often swords that cut her down long before the cesarean knife, which will cut open one in
three bellies. These are huge human rights violations.

At our conference in Strasbourg, France, which is the seat of the European Court I:___
of Human Rights as well as the European Parliament, we plan to take this issue
apart and make plans for changing birth practices. The theme is “Birth Is a Human
Rights Issue,” which is also the theme of our Summer 2010 magazine. I truly hope you can join
us there for this pioneering event. It is time to start a revolution in birth. You are part of that
revolution.

Jan Tritten is the founder, editor, and mother of Midwifery Today magazine and J:___
conferences. Her love for and study of midwifery sprang from the beautiful
homebirth of her second daughter—after a disappointing, medicalized first birth in
the hospital. After giving birth at home, she kept studying birth books because, “she thought
there was something more here.” She became a homebirth midwife in 1977 and continued
helping moms who wanted a better birth experience. Jan started Midwifery Today in 1986 to
spread the good word about midwifery care, using her experience to guide editorial and
conferences. Her mission is to make loving midwifery care the norm for birthing women and
their babies in the United States and around the world. Meet Jan at our conferences around
the world!

1. United Nations General Assembly; Human Rights Council. 2009. “Preventable maternal
mortality and morbidity and human rights.”
www.who.int/pmnch/topics/maternal/20090617_hrcresolution.pdf. Accessed 26 Oct 2009.
2. Stoffregen, Morgan. 2009. “UN Resolution Recognizes Maternal Mortality as a Human Rights
Issue.” International Budget Partnership e-newsletter, No. 49, Jul-Aug.
www.internationalbudget.org/resources/newsletter49.htm#IIMMHR. Accessed 3 Nov 2009.
3. International Motherbaby Childbirth Organization. 2008. “The International Motherbaby
Childbirth Initiative: 10 Steps to Optimal Motherbaby Maternity Services.”
www.imbci.org/USERIMAGES/File/IMBCI%20%20%2004-05-08.pdf. Accessed 18 Oct 2009

Tritten, J. (2009, November 18). Midwifery Today The hear of science of birth. Retrieved from
Midwifery Today The hear of science of birth: https://www.midwiferytoday.com/mt-
articles/birth-is-a-human-rights-issue/