07/07/2024
It's so important to understand the difference between a professional’s obligation, a facility’s access requirements, and an individual person’s bodily autonomy.
These are sometimes confused, even by those giving information about your maternity rights.
Let’s start with guidelines and recommendations.
The “guide” in guidelines exists to give care providers a guide as to what to offer/recommend in different situations.
Care providers, birth workers and therapists do sometimes need to follow guidelines and OFFER you things. But it's ONLY an offer.
(Professionals who care about autonomy will often find ways to word their statements which clearly indicate that, while they are obliged to offer the recommendation, it's only one option. Listen carefully to what they're saying 'between the lines'.)
As the person seeking health care, you don't have to follow the guidelines or accept any offer or recommendation.
Onto access.
If you choose to give birth in a health care facility, it’s true that you might not be able to access everything you want.
For example, you can’t insist on using a birth pool if someone is already in it, and facilities do have the right to decline certain things.
Hospitals may also have restrictions which individual care providers can’t get around, however much they might want to.
But remember that you don’t need to go to a hospital or other facility unless/until you want to, and you are still not obliged to follow guidelines or recommendations even if you do.
Bodily autonomy is all yours.
Except in very exceptional circumstances (for instance if you’re unconscious, under the influence of drugs or very mentally unwell), everyone has the right to bodily autonomy.
This means you can always say no.
You can't always demand what you want (see 'access' above), but you CAN always say no.
Your body, your baby, your decisions.
No company, facility, care provider, or birth worker has the right to restrict that.
More in my book 'What's Right For Me?' which you can find at www.sarawickham.com/me
And there's loads more info on my website.
