Story perspectives

Systemic Coercion in Maternity Care Affects Women of Color

3/18/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Birthrights, a charity, reports that women in England face coercion in maternity care and are pressured into procedures like caesareans.
The report draws on experiences from 300 individuals.
Caregivers used authoritative language that undermined women's ability to decide.
Hazel Williams, chief executive of Birthrights, identifies coercive practices as systemic and disproportionately affecting Black and Brown women.
The report calls for an end to coercion in maternity care.

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Story summary

Birthrights, a charity, reports that women in England face coercion in maternity care and are pressured into procedures like caesareans.
The report draws on experiences from 300 individuals.
Caregivers used authoritative language that undermined women's ability to decide.
Hazel Williams, chief executive of Birthrights, identifies coercive practices as systemic and disproportionately affecting Black and Brown women.
The report calls for an end to coercion in maternity care.