Protecting human rights in childbirth
Rebecca SchillerOne of the primary objectives of our campaign on maternal request caesarean is to highlight examples of best practice and celebrate the Trusts taking a woman-centred approach. One of the guidelines that really stood out to us was that of Birmingham Women’s Hospital (BWH). BWH’s guideline on maternal request caesarean explicitly recognises that the evidence base around … Read more
Birthrights CEO Rebecca Schiller will be stepping down from her current role at the end of September 2018 and will be re-joining the Board of Trustees to continue her work for the organisation. Birthrights will start the recruitment process for a new CEO on 6th August and will be looking to recruit a dynamic and experienced leader … Read more
The outpouring of posts from survivors of sexual violence, assault and abuse as part of the grassroots #MeToo campaign underlines what many of us working in maternity care believe strongly. A significant number of women accessing important services in pregnancy and birth will have experienced trauma in their lives. And sadly, many of these individuals … Read more
On 18th and 19th October, members of IMUK (the membership organisation for independent midwives in the UK) will bring to court their judicial review of the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s decision that their indemnity cover is inadequate. In January Birthrights wrote to the NMC to express concern about the decision stating that their actions “appear … Read more
In response to this weekend’s news coverage of the Royal College of Midwives, Birthrights’ CEO Rebecca Schiller gave this comment to the Sunday Times: “The RCM’s decision to change the name of its campaign to the ‘Better Births Campaign’ took place in 2014. I welcomed this and continue to value the RCM’s drive to ensure … Read more
In a judgment published today, we were disappointed to learn that a Supreme Court appeal, challenging the government’s refusal to provide NHS-funded abortion care in England for women resident in Northern Ireland, has narrowly failed. Birthrights joined coalition of reproductive rights charities, Alliance for Choice, the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (bpas), the Family Planning Association (FPA), and the … Read more
Following the recent NMC decision on the indemnity cover that IMUK members have taken out, Birthrights has been working to support women who now find themselves without the midwife of their choosing. I wanted to give you an update on what we have been doing to help and to respond to some requests for information. … Read more
Birthrights strongly criticised today a decision by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) that prevents many independent midwives from caring for women in labour. The decision (which relates to the level of indemnity insurance arranged for many independent midwives by their umbrella body, IMUK) has resulted in the regulator instructing pregnant women to make immediate alternative … Read more
The Grand Chamber of the European Court gave judgment today in Dubska v Czech Republic. We wrote about the earlier decision of Court here. The Court reaffirmed that women’s rights in childbirth are protected by Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, further underlining the human rights protections that childbearing women should enjoy. But … Read more
In a statement responding to the Health Secretary’s announcement today of a package of measures aimed at improving safety in maternity care, Birthrights CEO Rebecca Schiller said: “Birthrights welcomes innovation and investment in maternity care. We are particularly pleased to see the Health Secretary’s commitment to the Better Birth report’s recommendation that a ‘rapid redress and … Read more
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