Birth Justice Movement Reclaims Maternal Health for Native Women

For generations, Native American women have faced systemic barriers to safe and respectful maternal healthcare, resulting in disproportionately high rates of maternal mortality and morbidity. Now, a growing birth justice movement led by Indigenous communities is challenging the status quo, advocating for culturally informed care, and reclaiming birth sovereignty. This movement seeks to address deep-rooted inequalities and ensure that Native women have access to the care they deserve.

A History of Trauma and Disregard

The current maternal health crisis facing Native women is rooted in a long history of forced sterilization, medical abuse, and cultural disruption. Beginning in the early 20th century, Native American women were targeted for sterilization as part of eugenic policies aimed at suppressing population growth and erasing Indigenous cultures. A 1928 federal investigation, known as the Meriam Report, revealed alarmingly high infant mortality rates among Native Americans in Montana – 185.4 per 1,000 births, compared to 69.1 for white populations.

Maternal mortality rates also spiked during this period. By the 1940s, Navajo mothers experienced a mortality rate of approximately 1,000 deaths per 100,000 births, nearly four times the U.S. Average of 270 per 100,000 at the time. These historical traumas continue to impact Native women’s trust in the healthcare system and contribute to current disparities.

Modern Barriers to Care

Today, Native women continue to face significant barriers to accessing quality maternal healthcare. These include chronic shortages of care, understaffing, long wait times, limited access to specialists and emergency obstetric care, and fragmented coordination between tribal, state, and federal healthcare systems.

For Alaska Native women, geographic isolation presents a unique challenge. They often must travel hundreds of miles by seaplane for prenatal care and childbirth, frequently without family support. Weather conditions and travel delays can quickly turn into medical emergencies.

Native women experience maternal mortality rates up to 10 times higher than their white counterparts in some states.

The Rise of the Birth Justice Movement

In response to these challenges, a grassroots birth justice movement is gaining momentum across Indian Country. Led by Native midwives, doulas, activists, and community organizations, this movement aims to reclaim birth sovereignty and restore culturally informed care. Initiatives include building tribal birthing centers, facilitating home births, restoring traditional medicines and birth practices, and advocating for policy changes.

Organizations like the Alaska Native Birthworkers Community, Tewa Women United, Changing Woman Initiative, and the Indigenous Birth Justice Network are at the forefront of this movement.

Reclaiming Traditional Practices

A key component of the birth justice movement is the revitalization of traditional Indigenous birth practices. Midwives like Katsi Cook, a member of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, are integrating clinical care with traditional medicine, encouraging patients to seek guidance from elders and other mothers.

Cook emphasizes the importance of Native women knowing their health data and advocating for themselves within the healthcare system. She also promotes home births as a way to experience individualized care and respect. She believes that true empowerment comes from trusting women to listen to their bodies and rejecting unnecessary medical procedures.

Policy and Advocacy Efforts

Community-based leaders are advocating for legislation and policies that expand access to care and address disparities in Native maternal health. Nicolle Arthun, founder of Changing Woman Initiative, is working with U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján to develop a national strategy for improving maternal health outcomes for Native women.

This effort includes five policy briefs outlining solutions to address maternal mortality, workforce equity, access to healthcare services, Indigenous data sovereignty, and funding inequities. However, securing adequate funding for these initiatives remains a challenge due to ongoing budget conflicts in Congress.

A Personal Story of Healing and Empowerment

Shavonne Stevens, a Seneca woman, experienced four traumatic hospital births before discovering the world of Indigenous midwifery and doulas. After a negative experience with her fourth child’s birth, she sought support and training, becoming a certified doula and lactation consultant. She now advocates for traditional Haudenosaunee birth practices and supports other mothers in her community. Her last two children were delivered at home, in a ceremony that honored her culture and empowered her as a mother.

Looking Ahead

The birth justice movement represents a powerful shift towards reclaiming maternal health for Native women. By centering Indigenous knowledge, advocating for policy changes, and providing culturally informed care, this movement is working to create a future where all Native women have access to safe, respectful, and empowering birth experiences.