8 Comments
User's avatar
Rainbow Roxy's avatar

Regarding the topic of the article, what if trully culturally aware care, like Rubi’s insights suggest, transformed all perinatal services to be holistic and empowering for everyone?

Expand full comment
Mélina Magdelénat's avatar

Oh, of course, that’s the goal. The title reads as it does because Rubi’s work focuses specifically on the arrangements needed to make perinatal care inclusive to migrant women, such as interpretation, which women with full knowledge of a country’s language don’t have a need for. But as in many other cases, inclusion improvements targeted at a specific group of people often tend to end up make life better for everyone - like wheelchair-friendly curb designs that benefit strollers, suitcases, and people with difficulty walking. Creating care environments that center autonomy, dignity and a holistic understanding of the self are always the goal, and there are many mutually reinforcing paths to getting there.

Expand full comment
Darby Saxbe's avatar

This was fascinating, and the bathing ceremony sounds absolutely lovely.

Expand full comment
Mélina Magdelénat's avatar

Thank you! Yes, it sounds like such a beautiful and restoring moment.

Expand full comment
Ann Ledbetter's avatar

This was wonderful! I work with mostly Spanish-speaking immigrants as a midwife and I am appalled at the level of coercion and obstetric violence they were subjected to in their home countries. Is anyone doing anything about this? It makes me so angry to hear their stories of non-evidence based care day after day.

Expand full comment
Mélina Magdelénat's avatar

It's truly devastating to hear about, and especially, as you say, when we now have more than enough evidence on why it's detrimental, and on the frameworks to put in place to prevent it. There is a lot of reproductive justice activism in LATAM - most of it focuses on securing or protecting abortion rights, though (which is obviously another facet of the same fight). I know most LATAM countries have their own 'Observatorio de la Violencia Obstétrica', but I'm not sure how influential they are. Will put it in TFW's research priorities.

Expand full comment
Ann Ledbetter's avatar

I have thought about writing an editorial for El Pais or something like that. In addition to hundreds of coerced, unnecessary cesareans, I have seen a handful of tubal sterilizations without consent. In one case the mom was 17! In another, they got her husband's consent but not hers. It makes me so mad.

Expand full comment
Mélina Magdelénat's avatar

You definitely should! Your first-hand observations would make for a powerful piece.

Jesus, 17... this is why broadening the fight to include all of reproductive justice is so important. It's not just about abortion, there's a world of other battles to be fought.

Expand full comment