General
What does discrimination look like during pregnancy and childbirth, and how can we make maternity care fairer?
More than half of birthing individuals experience care at some point as disrespectful, violating boundaries, or even violent. Pregnant individuals in worse economic positions are more likely to have a child born prematurely or underweight compared to those in better economic positions. The risk of mortality for pregnant individuals and babies is much higher among people of color compared to white individuals. How is it that those who are different fall outside 'the box,' consistently experiencing poorer health outcomes in a country where care is supposed to be equal for everyone? And what does this all have to do with the history of the speculum and the vibrator?
During this evening, 'Giving Birth Outside the Box' will be presented, with authors Bahareh Goodarzi (affiliated with the Amsterdam Reproduction and Development Research Institute) and Daan Borrel, along with invited guests, engaging in a critical and challenging conversation about how it is not our genes or biology, but rather socio-economic factors, including maternity care itself, that determine differences in health during pregnancy and childbirth.