Obstetric Violence. Are You Aware It is Happening Globally?

Obstetric violence was not a term that I was familiar with until I started doing research on my book about holistic childbirth around the world.

The first person who mentioned the term to me was actually an OBGYN in Peru, Antonio Lévano, who admitted that obstretric violence was prevalent in Peru. After my interview with Dr. Lévano, a doula in Peru, Ariela Waltzer also brought up this topic without coaxing, which made me realize this was not a term that they invented, but a widespread issue in Peru and many other countries around the globe.

“What is obstetric violence?” I asked.

“Obstretric violence means they do not see your needs. They see their needs. They are not listening to you. They are listening to their book and the charts and numbers and what needs to be signed…. Obstetric violence is very big in Peru especially in private clinics.”

She admitted that obstetric violence is common in Peru and that people have been talking about it for the last fifteen years.

I was shocked.

I asked her if she could share specific examples. She described how the large percentage of c-sections in Lima, Peru is the biggest example. In Lima, the capital, 90% of births at clinics are c-sections. She mentioned that it wasn’t just taking away a woman’s choice about how she would give birth, but that it happens every step along labor from prohibiting support such as husbands or doulas to go into the hospital (not to be able to choose who to be with during labor/not to have emotional support or someone to stand up for you), unnecessary episiotomies (cuts), rough checks (to measure the dilation instead of being gentle), being hooked up to an IV upon arrival, being restricted to a hospital bed, artificial oxytocin (when there is no need), an epidural (when it was not requested/forcing it upon mothers), and the rush to give birth faster are some examples.

After my interviews in Peru, I realized that we may not use the phrase, Obstetric Violence, in the U.S. but many women who I interviewed shared experiences similar to the examples that Ariela highlighted. This is a widespread issue in the United States, Europe, South America, Australia, and Africa.

According to the Web site of Young Feminist Europe, “Obstetric violence is an intersection between institutional violence and violence against women during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum. It includes denial of treatment during childbirth, verbal humiliations, physical violence, invasive practices, disregard of women’s pain, rude treatment, forced medical interventions, and unnecessary use of medication. One investigation showed that for every 4 out of 10 women (41%) the way they were treated during childbirth was detrimental to their dignity and psycho-physical well-being.”

Were you aware that this is happening? That women are being treated with violence as they give birth from OBGYNs and midwives? Were you aware of how this is affecting women emotionally and physically? Are people talking about it in your country?

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