ԼEGAL NORMS DEFINING THE RIGHTS ON RESPECTFUL MATERNITY CARE
Respect and care are vital to quality healthcare. These are of great importance during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. Usually, both in Armenia and around the world, quantitative data related to physical health are considered indicators of “protected maternity” in official bulletins: birth rate, number of live births, maternal and child mortality, etc.
Meanwhile, it is substantial that the indicators of “protected maternity” also include data on protecting fundamental human rights: respect for a woman’s personality, dignity, feelings, choices, preferences, etc.
When women’s rights are not respected, we deal with cases of obstetric violence or aggression. Obstetric violence is violence against a woman at all stages of childbirth: pregnancy, delivery, and the postpartum period. This violence can have serious physical consequences for the life and health of the woman and the newborn and cause psychological trauma for the woman and her family members.
In the Armenian public discourse (in the media and on various public platforms), “obstetric violence” and “respectful maternity care” are entirely new terms. Despite this, there are a number of legal regulations aimed at protecting maternity in Armenian legislation, as well as in international documents ratified by Armenia.
In this research, we looked at legal norms defining women’s rights during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period – ensuring respectful maternity care and preventing obstetric violence.
The full research paper see bellow:
ASTGHIK KARAPETYAN 