Ethical Treatment in Pregnancy, Birth and Postpartum; A Prenatal and Perinatal Perspective

What makes a question an ethical question? What makes a situation an ethical situation? Many people think medical ethics involves things like stopping treatment for someone who is terminally ill, physician-assisted suicide, or using embryonic stem cells as medical treatments. Many of these decisions include moral judgments, such as ‘good’ or ‘bad.’ However, some of the most pressing ethical and moral issues in health care involve pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period. In fact, some argue that the current crisis in maternity care mandates a careful look at the ethical principles that provide the foundation for practice. But what happens when standard maternity and pediatric care does not reflect the ethical standards outlined in the respective codes of ethics of childbirth educators, doulas, nurses, midwives, and physicians? What is the impact on the health and well-being of mothers and babies? Prenatal and perinatal psychology provides us with a solid yet unique foundation for addressing these and related issues.

Sally Dear-Healey, Ph.D., PPNE, CCE, CDE

Sally is Co-Director of Education for APPPAH and has worked in the birth field for over thirty years as a Birth Works Childbirth Educator and Doula and a birth, baby, and family health activist. As a Certified Labor Assistant she also attended home births as an apprentice midwife. Sally received her Doctorate in Sociology and a Graduate Certificate in Feminist Theory from Binghamton University. She taught for over 20 years at the university level, including ten years in Human Development and three years in Child and Family Studies, focusing on pregnancy and birth, prenatal and early child development, and family violence. Sally is a faculty member with the Chicago-based HealthConnect One Birth Equity Leadership Academy (BELA). She also serves on the BirthWorks Board of Directors, and is a Trainer for Birth Works Childbirth Education, Doula, and ACED (Advanced Childbirth Education Doula) workshops. She is the mother of 3 birth daughters, a son, and grandmother to nine.