Respectful maternity care is a human right of every woman and her baby to be treated with care, respect and dignity, free from harm, and to maintain absolute liberty and autonomy. Any and all disrespectful maternity care is an infringement on women’s fundamental human rights. Maternity Today stands with women and their babies – strongly advocating for the right to respectful maternity care worldwide.

Women have the right to receive respectful maternity care in all healthcare systems around the world. Women’s experiences with maternity caregivers can either be empowering and comforting or inflict lasting damage and deep emotional trauma. Either way, memories of childbearing experiences can stay with women throughout their lifetimes.

In a report for the U.S. Agency for International Development, Diana Bowser and Kathleen Hill published their discoveries of the overwhelming presence of poor maternal care in facility-based childbirth. The report revealed evidence of disrespect and abuse, as well as childbearing women’s fear of physical and emotional trauma inflicted by maternal care professionals. Bowser and Hill established that the fear of receiving abuse acts as a deterrent for women seeking proper maternal care.

In 2019’s “Accountability for Respectful Maternity Care“, authors Afulani and Moyer claim governments, facilities, and private healthcare providers acknowledge mistreatment at an increasing rate, and some are committed to reducing such treatment, yet the authors question the lack of accountability. According to Afulani and Moyer, a #whatdowomenwant campaign by the White Ribbon Alliance found the top demand worldwide was more dignified and respectful healthcare.