Birthing with Dignity is not a luxury or an optional extra — it is a basic human right.

Every woman and birthing person, regardless of skin colour, ethnicity, gender identity, age, religion, or economic background, has the legal and moral right to be treated with dignity throughout the entire journey of childbirth. This right is not limited to the moment of delivery alone. It extends to every prenatal appointment, every conversation, the entire birthing process, and the critical period of recovery while still within the healthcare system’s care.

When we talk about dignity, we are talking about being seen and treated as a whole person — with respect, compassion, and agency over one’s own body and choices.

Dignity Begins With You

“Dignity is not something we earn — it is something we inherently possess.”

Too often, life teaches us the wrong lessons: that we don’t matter, that our voices are too loud or too small, that we should put others’ needs first; that we should not question what we are told. Over time, these messages can strip away our sense of worth; our value.

But you are not here to be quiet or invisible. You are here to matter deeply — to yourself first and foremost.  

Ask yourself:

  • Do I treat myself as someone who matters?
  • Do I value my own thoughts and feelings? 
  • Am I intimidated by others who I perceive to be more informed, and educated than me?
  • Who treats me with appreciation?
  • When I got to my maternity appointments, do I feel seen and heard?
  • Am I surrounded by people who uplift and respect me?

When you reclaim your own dignity, you set the tone for how others treat you. If you do not treat yourself with dignity, it is much harder to expect others to do so.

Who Stands With You?

Dignity is fast disappearing from the lexicon of childbirth. It is a word bandied about by managers and health ministers but ignored by practitioners and patients alike. It has little meaning on the labour and postnatal wards of contemporary hospitals.

The endless stories of heavily pregnant mothers coming out of maternity appointments feeling small or anxious; shut down or intimidated is simply not acceptable. Late pregnancy is a time of letting go of control, of cultivating bodily trust and alignment with bodily processes. It is not a time for intimidation and pressure such as women are feeling today as they navigate with apprehension their due date.

Giving birth is a profoundly human and vulnerable experience and, as such, we must expect humanity in the birth place; genuine support, kindness and respect for our dignity. We must request to birth with dignity.

It is important that you assess whether your health care providers are with you; attuned to your wishes; listening to you needs and working with you to deliver them; whether thats birthing in the birth centre as a VBAC or acknowledging you do not wish to be induced in late pregnancy. Who has your back in the system?  Who will bring Love into the birthing room?

It is also important to ask: Who will stand beside you to protect your dignity during birth? If the system does not support you?

This might be your partner, a family member, a close friend, or a doula. Choose someone who will help you feel strong, seen, and supported. Someone who does listen to you and will advocate for you if necessary.

Choose well. You will remember this experience for the rest of your life. You matter. Your experience matters.

Be an Active Guardian of Your Dignity

Listen to how your healthcare providers speak to you. Notice how your body responds during appointments: do you feel safe, heard, and respected? Or do you feel dismissed or unseen?

If not, speak up calmly and firmly. Say to them sentences like:

  • “I do not believe you’ve heard me correctly.”
  • “I don’t think you have understood my wish.”
  • “I’m sorry, but you have not listened to my request.”

Write down what they say — especially if it feels unsettling or denies your needs. Always ask for evidence behind their assertions, and record that too.

Remember you can seek a second opinion. Remember too that what you are told is an opinion not a truth. If you are unhappy with the outcome, seek the assistance of the consultant midwife at your hospital. Remember it is your right to information, informed consent, and respect for your choices and preferences, including companion of choice and refusal of medical procedures.

Craft Your Birth Plan with Dignity at the Center

When creating your birth plan, prioritise dignity, love, and respect. Reflect on how this might play out in the situations that arise during labour and birth Here are some examples:

  • State how you wish to be treated during vaginal exams (e.g., being informed before each touch, gentle handling).
  • Ask not to be spoken to during contractions. 
  • Request that if stitching is necessary, anyone touching your intimate areas clearly announces it and does so gently and respectfully.
  • Ask that all recommendations are given as suggestions and that HCP’s regularly ask ask you what you would like and need in any given situation?
  • If you have religious or cultural needs (e.g., requesting a female provider), include this clearly.
  • If you have past trauma, ask for extra emotional and mental health support.

Your birth plan is a powerful tool to assert your values and needs — a manifesto of your right to be treated as a full, worthy human being.

A Final Word

Childbirth can be one of the most vulnerable, transformative experiences of your life. You deserve to feel powerful and safe, not just in the outcome of your birth, but throughout every interaction leading up to it. Remember: birthing with dignity is your right. But it starts with you; valuing yourself; caring for yourself; meeting your own needs so that you can feel ready to birth your baby; feeling cared for and supported; acknowledged and valued because that is what you expect from life.

References

  • White Ribbon Alliance (2011). Respectful Maternity Care: The Universal Rights of Childbearing Women. Link
  • Birthrights (UK). Dignity in Childbirth. Link

 

Read on below to discover the 8 Universal Rights of Women & Newborns are. Remember these rights. Let them guide you and support you on this incredible journey.

RESPECTFUL MATERNITY CARE

THE UNIVERSAL RIGHTS OF WOMEN & NEWBORNS

Respectful Maternity Care Charter: The Universal Rights of Women and Newborns

1. Everyone has the right to freedom from harm and ill-treatment.

No one is allowed to physically hurt you or your newborn. You should both be taken care of in a gentle and compassionate way and receive assistance when experiencing pain or discomfort.

Legal authority

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 1966, Article 7 Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1990, Article 19, 37
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2006, Article 15, 16

Regional legal authority

African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, 1998, Article 6
African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, 1990, Article 16
American Convention on Human Rights, 1969, Article 5
American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultur- al Rights, 1988, Article 19
Convention of Belem do Para, 1994, Article 2, 3, 4
European Convention on Human Rights, 1950, Article 3

2. Everyone has the right to information, informed consent, and respect for their choices and preferences, including companion of choice during maternity care and refusal of medical procedures.

No one is allowed to force you or do things to you or your newborn without your knowledge or consent. Every woman has the right to autonomy, to receive information, and provide informed consent or refusal for care. Every parent or guardian has the right to receive information and provide informed con- sent or refusal for their newborn’s care, in the newborn’s best interests, unless otherwise provided by law.

Legal authority

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 1966, Article 7, 19 Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1990, Article 5, 13

Regional legal authority

African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, 1998, Article 9
American Convention on Human Rights, 1969, Article 13
European Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine, 1997, Article 5, 6

3. Everyone has the right to privacy and confidentiality.

No one is allowed to share your or your newborn’s personal or medical information, including all records and images, without your consent. Yours’ and your newborn’s privacy must be protected, except as necessary for healthcare providers to convey information for continuity of care.

Legal authority

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 1966, Article 17 Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1990, Article 16
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2006, Article 22

Regional legal authority

African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, 1990, Article 10 American Convention on Human Rights, 1969, Article 11
European Convention on Human Rights, 1950, Article 8
European Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine, 1997, Article 10

4. Everyone is their own person from the moment of birth and has the right to be treated with dignity and respect.

No one is allowed to humiliate, verbally abuse, speak about or touch you or your newborn in a degrading or disrespectful manner. You and your newborn baby must be cared for with respect and compassion.

Legal authority

International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, 1966, Article 17 Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1990, Article 16, 23 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2006, Article 17

Regional legal authority

African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, 1998, Article 6 African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, 1990, Article 13 American Convention on Human Rights, 1969, 1Article 5, 11 Convention of Belem do Para, 1994, Article 4
European Convention on Human Rights, 1950, Article 8

5. Everyone has the right to equality, freedom from discrimination and equitable care.

No one is allowed to discriminate against you or your newborn because of something they think or do not like about either one of you. Equality requires that pregnant women have the same protections under the law as they would when they are not pregnant, including the right to make decisions about what happens to their body.

Legal authority

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 1966, Article 24 (1), 26 International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, 1966, Article 2, 10 (3) Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1990, Article 2
Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, 1979, Article 1, 12, 14(2)(b)
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2006, Articles 5, 6, 7 Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, 1990, Article 14
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, Art. 2, Art. 5
International Labor Organization, Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169), Art. 3

Regional legal authority

African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, 1998, Article 2

African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, 1990, Article 3 American Convention on Human Rights, 1969, Article 1
Convention of Belem do Para, 1994, Article 6
European Convention on Human Rights, 1950, Article 14

6. Everyone has the right to healthcare and to the highest attainable level of health.

No one may prevent you or your newborn from getting the healthcare needed or deny or withhold care from either one of you. You and your newborn are entitled to the highest quality care, provided in a timely manner, in a clean and safe environ- ment, by providers who are trained in current best practices.

Legal authority

International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, 1966, Article 17 Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1990, Article 9, 16
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2006, Article 22

Regional legal authority

American Convention on Human Rights, 1969, Article 11 European Convention on Human Rights, 1950, Article 8

9. Every child has the right to an identity and nationality from birth.

No one is allowed to deny your newborn birth registration, even if they die shortly after birth, or deny the nationality your newborn is legally entitled to.

Legal authority

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 1966, Article 24
Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1990, Article 7
Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, 1990, Article 29

Regional legal authority

African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights,1998, Article 5 American Convention on Human Rights, 1969, Article 3

10. Everyone has the right to adequate nutrition and clean water.

No one is allowed to prevent you and your newborn from having adequate nutrition, clean water or a healthy environment. You have the right to information and support on child nutrition and the advantages of breastfeeding.

Legal authority

Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, 1979, Article 12
Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, 1979, Article 14(2)

Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1990, Article 24 (2)(c), (2)(e) International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Article 11(1) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2006 Article 25(1)

Regional legal authority

African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, 1990, Article 14(2) Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, 2005, Article15(a)
Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 1999, Article 12(1)

Legal authority

International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, 1966, Article 12 Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, 1979, Article 5, 12
Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1990, Article 23, 24

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2006, Article 25 International Labor Organization, Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169), Art. 25

Regional legal authority

European Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine, 1997, Article 3
African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, 1998, Article 16
African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, 1990, Article 14 Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 1988, Article 10

7. Everyone has the right to liberty, autonomy, self-determination and freedom from arbitrary detention.

No one is allowed to detain you or your newborn in a health- care facility, even if you cannot pay for services received.

Legal authority

International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, 1966, Article 1 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 1966, Article 1, 9.1, 18.1 Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1990, Article 37
International Labor Organization, Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169), Art. 2, Art. 5

Regional legal authority

African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, 1998, Article 6, 20 African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, 1990, Article 30 American Convention on Human Rights, 1966, Article 7
European Convention on Human Rights, 1950, Article 5

8. Every child has the right to be with their parents or guardians.

No one is allowed to separate you from your newborn without your consent. You and your newborn have the right to remain together at all times, even if your newborn is born small, premature or with medical conditions that require extra care.