No is no. Except in childbirth.
Together,
we can raise awareness
to end
maternity care mistreatment
in california.
every story counts.
Silence protects the injustice - speaking out together creates awareness for ACCOUNTABILITY and change.
⦁
Silence protects the injustice - speaking out together creates awareness for ACCOUNTABILITY and change. ⦁
why we exist
Everyone should have the right to be heard and respected, especially in the hospital.
However, when it comes to maternity care, mothers often go through labor and delivery of their child in fear, coercion or even forced interventions, even though there is no emergency or medical indication.
The reality is that
1 in 5 mothers in the United States report mistreatment while receiving maternity care.
This is not just a statistic. It is trauma, lost trust, and lives changed by preventable harm.
Because mothers, like everyone else, deserve dignity, safety, and equitable access to respectful care.
Every normal, low-risk childbirth should be safe for baby and mother.
However, while affected mothers often deal with life-altering physical and psychological injuries they have acquired from maternity care mistreatment, they often suffer in silence for many years, if not lifelong because the systems that should protect, inform, and empower these mothers often use all their power to instead justify their actions, punish vulnerability, shift the blame, obscure accountability and normalize the harm.
Even today.
For the vast majority of affected mothers, there is no recourse and no one to hold accountable.
We believe that maternity care mistreatment must be abolished, and that affected mothers must have specific legal avenues to seek restitution, ensure accountability, and prevent future violations.
One in Five must become Zero in California.
What is
maternity care
mistreatment?
The most common types of maternity care mistreatment include
Being threatened with withholding treatment, or
made to accept unwanted treatment; forced interventions.
Receiving no response to requests for help or questions.
Being shouted at or scolded.
Not having physical privacy protected.
1 in 3 mothers in the United States report birth trauma by their childbirth experience.
Birth trauma can lead to a range of maternal mental health conditions, including physical, emotional and psychological injuries such as postpartum-PTSD.
800,000 families each year in the United States are affected by poor maternal mental health as the most common complication of maternity care.
what is informed
consent?
Informed consent requires
disclosure of risks, benefits, and all alternatives;
the opportunity to ask questions;
comprehension;
voluntary agreement without coercion; and
respect of the right to refuse or withdraw consent at any time, even during labor and delivery.
Emergency exceptions apply only if a patient is not able to consent to an immediate intervention to prevent serious harm, but even then, clinicians must act in the least restrictive way possible and document rationale.
What are
forced interventions
in maternity care?
Forced interventions during labor and childbirth are medical actions taken without a pregnant’s informed, voluntary consent. They can range from coercive persuasion to physical restraint or procedures performed despite clear refusal.
These practices violate bodily autonomy, can cause physical harm, and psychological harm such as postpartum-PTSD.
Common forced interventions are:
Unconsented induction of labor (oxytocin, membrane stripping) after pressure or false urgency.
Unconsented or coerced c-section or other instrumental delivery procedures, often through intimidation or presenting it as the only option even though there is no emergency and no medical indication.
Episiotomy without informed consent.
Artificial rupture of membranes (amniotomy) performed without agreement.
Forced internal examinations or excessive or repeated exams after a refusal.
Use of restraints or plexiglass to control movement.
Refusal to honor birth plans or advance directives, including requests for no continuous fetal monitoring, no breastfeeding, or a preferred birthing position.
Withholding pain relief unless certain actions are taken (e.g., consenting to an intervention).
physical
consequences of
forced interventions
Forced interventions are harmful and can have severe, if not lifelong physical consequences.
Forced c-sections and forced instrumental delivery procedures are not without medical risks and can cause severe physical injuries to mother and baby.
Physical risks of forced interventions include infections, hemorrhage, nerve damage, surgical complications, longer recovery.
psychological
consequences of
forced interventions
Forced interventions can also have severe, if not lifelong psychological consequences.
Psychological harms include birth trauma, postpartum-PTSD, depression, anxiety, distrust of healthcare.
Disruption of bonding and breastfeeding.
Increased maternal morbidity and mortality, particularly when interventions are unnecessary or done without proper indication and consent.
Each year, an estimated 100,000 mothers in the United States develop postpartum-PTSD as a direct result of maternity care mistreatment.
call to action:
Share your stories.
One in five must become zero in california.
chilbirth should not leave lasting harm.
Silence protects the injustice;
speaking out together creates awareness for accountability and change.
Mothers, Share your stories of maternity care mistreatment in California.
FATHERS, DOULAS, NURSES, MIDWIVES, SHARE WHAT YOU HAVE WITNESSED ABOUT MATERNITY CARE MISTREATMENT IN CALIFORNIA.
Maternity Justice for California stands with every person harmed by maternity care mistreatment.
Together, we can raise awareness to end maternity care mistreatment in California.
what must change
California, adopt concrete, enforceable measures to abolish maternity care mistreatment and create accountability, safety, and dignity for pregnant and postpartum mothers.
define and prohibit maternity care mistreatment
Enact clear statutory definitions covering verbal, physical, emotional, discriminatory, coercive, and neglectful behaviors during prenatal, labor, delivery and postpartum care, and
include coercion regarding forced procedures, nonconsensual internal exams, and discriminatory refusals of care.
establish enforceable patient rights and informed consent standards
Codify enforceable rights to respectful, culturally responsive care, privacy, and bodily autonomy.
Require documented, language-accessible, trauma-informed informed consent processes confirmed by the affected patients for all procedures and interventions, including risks, benefits, alternatives, and the right to refuse.
Mandate advance discussion of birth plans and preferences and prohibit punitive measures from facilities for refusing interventions.
strengthen licensing, accreditation, and credentialing standards
Require licensure standards for hospitals, birth centers, and maternity care providers to include verified training in respectful care, anti-racism, implicit bias, and trauma-informed practice.
Tie re-licensure and accreditation to demonstrated metrics on patient experience and racial equity outcomes.
Require hospitals to maintain adequate staffing ratios and safe workloads for labor and postpartum units.
require data collection, transparency, and public reporting
Collect standardized patient-reported experience reports, disaggregated by race, language, disability, age, immigration status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and socioeconomic status.
Require facilities to report patient-reported incidents to state oversight agencies and identify hospitals with disparities to trigger targeted audits and interventions.
require hospitals to provide workforce training and support
Require hospitals to provide education programs on respectful maternity care, shared decision-making, anti-racism, implicit bias, and de-escalation.
Require hospitals to provide mental health and occupational support for staff to reduce conditions that contribute to mistreatment.
make legal remedies accessible for survivors of maternity care mistreatment
Make civil remedies for harm resulting from maternal care mistreatment accessible for survivors through statutory causes of action where appropriate.
Ensure legal aid and navigation support for mothers pursuing complaints or lawsuits.
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We will keep you updated.