Research
WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN CHILDBIRTH DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A Comparison of WHO Guidelines to Policies, Recommendations, and Practices in the US And Germany
Authors:
Nikolina Klatt ,
Hertie School of Governance, DE
About Nikolina
Nikolina Klatt is a Master of Public Policy candidate at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin. She has previously worked as a Research Assistant for CoronaNet Research Project and is an extended board member of Women In International Security Germany.
Ines Böhret
German Institute for Medical Mission, DE
About Ines
Ines Böhret holds an M.Sc. in Global Health and an M.A in Caritas Science and Value-based Management. She works as a project coordinator for health system strengthening at the German Institute for Medical Mission and has been involved in the CoronaNet Project as a Research Assistant since the beginning of the Pandemic
Abstract
Women's rights to respectful care in childbirth are often violated, especially during health emergencies. This article evaluates to which degree policies and recommendations implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic strengthen or violate women's rights in birth in Germany and the US. Therefore, recommendations and policies on a subnational level in Baden-Wuerttemberg and New York State are compared to the recommendations given by the WHO for a safe and positive childbirth experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article demonstrates that policies approved in New York have the potential to increase the options for birthing women and thus strengthen their rights. In contrast, little evidence was found for subnational policies in Baden-Wuerttemberg that aimed to safeguard women's rights at birth. This article concludes that women's rights in birth must be supported at the federal, state, and institutional level to ensure respectful and safe birth experiences, even in times of pandemics.
How to Cite:
Klatt N and Böhret I, ‘WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN CHILDBIRTH DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A Comparison of WHO Guidelines to Policies, Recommendations, and Practices in the US and Germany’ (2021) 3 Cross-cultural Human Rights Review 1 DOI: http://doi.org/10.52854/cchrr.51
Published on
24 Aug 2021.
Peer Reviewed
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