Document Type
Essay
Publication Date
Spring 2026
Abstract
Respectful and safe care in all birthing spaces has long been an ideal that global communities fail to meet. Birthing people are disrespected, physically or emotionally harmed, or left to completely fend for themselves during a period of extreme emotional and medical vulnerability. Historically, autonomy especially has been ignored in birthing spaces with medical trends like the twilight sleep, where women were drugged into a state of unconsciousness during birth (Taylor, 2023), demonstrating the desire of western medicine, in particular, to reduce birthing people to bystanders in their own birth. While birth trends and medical treatments have changed throughout time, the state of affairs around birth has only minimally improved. Obstetric violence, a term used for mistreatment or abuse that occurs during birth, is common globally, with a prevalence of around 59% (Hakimi et al., 2025). Inequitable distribution of birth resources, such as maternal care deserts or medical professional shortages, threatens fair global access to standard medical care during birth. Finally, social traditions or medical norms often put pressure on birthing people to conform to expectations or prioritize measures of biomedical health over more complex measures of birth success and holistic wellness.
Recommended Citation
Dees, Julia, "Justice, Autonomy, Beneficence, and Non-maleficence: The Global Failure to Heed Ethical Mandates in Birth Spaces" (2026). Richard T. Schellhase Essay Prize in Ethics. 42.
https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/ethics_essay/42
Included in
Bioethics and Medical Ethics Commons, Ethics and Political Philosophy Commons, Maternal and Child Health Commons, Women's Health Commons
Comments
First prize winner (tie).