Thread by @birthrightsorg

This bleak picture shown in the new @mbrrace report has not changed in over a decade.

We remain deeply concerned that Black and Brown people’s basic human rights to safety, dignity and equality in pregnancy and childbirth are not being protected, respected or upheld.

https://twitter.com/mbrrace/status/1458694743198687234

As this report’s findings come to light, we are analysing our own evidence (our inquiry into racial injustice in maternity services) from hundreds of Black, Brown and mixed ethnicity women and birthing people about their experiences & the impact of systemic racism on their care.

Emerging themes from the inquiry, backed up by testimony from healthcare professionals, include feeling unsafe, their concerns being ignored or dismissed, denial of pain relief due to racial stereotypes, and pervasive microaggressions causing harm or distress.

We began our inquiry recognising that systemic racism exists in society as a whole – so it must also impact maternity care. We must also understand the systemic, multi-layered discrimination against pregnant women and birthing people...

... which prevents them receiving the best care before, during and after pregnancy and which may result in the ultimate tragedy of a maternal death. These facts are not new and action is long overdue.

We must all play a part in the solution – whether through advocacy, recognising the impacts of our own bias, validating a mother’s experiences and concerns, or simply being the one person to listen and act.

Read our full statement on the publication of the @mbrrace report ⬇️

birthrights.org.uk/2021/11/11/new…

Find out more about our year-long inquiry into racial injustice in maternity services ⬇️
birthrights.org.uk/campaigns-rese…