Nearly two-thirds of Indigenous people report

Nearly two-thirds of Indigenous people who took part in a national study on perinatal care reported experiencing mistreatment during childbirth — findings that a B.C. Indigenous midwife says reaffirms longstanding evidence of racism and discrimination in the province.

Nearly two-thirds of Indigenous people report mistreatment during childbirth: study Indigenous midwife in B.C. says the findings reflect what Indigenous people have long experienced Nearly two-thirds of Indigenous people who took part in a national study on perinatal care reported experiencing mistreatment during childbirth — findings that an Indigenous midwife in B.C. says reaffirms longstanding evidence of racism and discrimination. The findings come from a project that between July 2020 and February 2022 documented the experiences of more than 6,000 respondents across Canada who had been pregnant or given birth in the previous decade.

Among the 309 Indigenous participants, 63 per cent reported experiencing at least one form of mistreatment during childbirth ,such as being shouted at, threatened, ignored when asking for help, physically handled roughly or having treatment withheld or imposed without consent. Nearly 75 per cent said they were treated disrespectfully, stating that they were mocked, subjected to negative comments or left unattended. The rates were higher than those reported by racialized and white participants in the same survey, about 50 per cent of whom reported mistreatment, according to the study.

"That's concerning really, we should have equitable care for everybody," said Saraswathi Vedam, a professor of midwifery at the University of British Columbia and one of the study's authors. About 38 per cent of Indigenous respondents said health-care providers did not consistently seek permission before conducting vaginal examinations, compared with 29.3 per cent of other racialized participants and 25 per cent of white participants. "All of us have the right to self-determination and the Indigenous communities have not had that in many ways historically in Canada," Vedam added.

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author Wanda Phillips-Beck said the outcome of the research reflects structural and interpersonal racism within health-care systems. "The data reveals egregious violations of Indigenous peoples' rights within health-care settings, exposing the profound failure of health-care systems to uphold the protections affirmed in international human rights law," she said. The study also found Indigenous participants cared for by a midwife during labour or birth reported substantially less mistreatment and disrespect than those without midwifery care. Researchers said the findings stress the importance of Indigenous-led and community-based approaches to maternity care, including expanded access to Indigenous midwifery services. Danette Jubinville, executive officer of the Indigenous Midwives Council of B.C., echoed that sentiment. "The findings are extremely troubling," she said. "They really...

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