03/05/2026
✨Birth autonomy = having the power to make choices about your body and your labor.✨
Many women experience care that undermines autonomy:
• 1 in 5 felt pressured into induction or cesarean (Jou et al., 2015)
• 42-60% had procedures without consent (Birth Trauma Association, 2024; Population Study, 2024)
• 75% of episiotomies were not a real choice (Sakala et al., 2022)
🤎You have the right to: accept or refuse procedures, ask questions, choose your support team, and advocate for your comfort and dignity.
Your labor. Your choices. Your voice. Always.
Sources:
Jou, J., Kozhimannil, K. B., Johnson, P. J., &
Sakala, C. (2015). Patient-perceived pressure from clinicians for labor induction and cesarean delivery: A population-based survey of U.S. women. Health Services Research, 50(4), 961-981. https://doi.org/
10.1111/1475-6773.12231
Birth Trauma Association. (2024). Two in five
women in labour have procedures performed without their consent, survey finds. https://
www.birthtraumaassociation.org/news-campaigns/blog-post-title-four-4jwnw-x3zm9-he23x-4gycw-
zr29a-8nx7j-x6c7t-gzrpm-xzd6a-e2b58
Sakala, C., Declerca, E., Corry, M. P.,
Applebaum, S., & Herrlich, A. (2022). Listening to Mothers in California survey: Choice and consent in maternity care. PubMed. https:// pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38794803/
Population Study (2024). National survey on
consent for labor interventions. PubMed. https:// pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39092580/