07/24/2026
What is obstetrical violence?
Obstetric violence, a term that originated in Latin America, refers to a range of violent practices against birthing individuals during childbirth, such as mistreatment, disrespect, or various forms of abuse.
This includes forced medical procedures, disrespectful language, neglect, sharing private information with people who are not involved in the birthing parent’s care without their permission, and discrimination based on socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, or gender identity (Hakimi et al., 2025).
Being in birth spaces for over 5 years, I’ve unfortunately witnessed obstetrical violence and it is something I wouldn’t wish on anyone.
It’s often something that goes unchecked by those that are witnessing it. And some providers or nurses don’t even realize that their actions actually fall under the definition of obstetrical violence.
Taking an out-of-hospital childbirth class to get educated on your rights as a birthing patient is the best way to prevent, detect, and advocate against being mistreated by anyone on your birth team.
Hiring a doula to be another advocate in your room isn’t a bad idea either 💪
