Birth Justice Tribunal Report Back

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Released December 2024

“Trust resistance comes with people confronting pain…
and wanting to do something to change it.” - bell hooks

One in five pregnant people experiences discriminatory mistreatment during pregnancy and childbirth in the United States. Despite growing national attention on perinatal health inequities, too few options exist to seek- and find- accountability for these harms. Community-led strategies have emerged in response to this failure to account for this discrimination. This report amplifies these strategies, focusing in particular on those that emerged from the 2023 Birth Justice Tribunal. 

On October 6th and December 1st, 2023, twenty-six brave families came forward with their experiences of violence and discrimination during the perinatal period at the 2023 Birth Justice Tribunal events in New York and Memphis. Honoring and believing in the power of centering people who have been directly impacted, this report weaves together their individual stories, anchoring its discrimination analysis in the voices and vision of people who have experienced obstetric violence and obstetric racism first-hand. The report concludes with community-led calls to action that we trust and believe hold the power to disrupt harm, and radically expand accountability for these harms.

Doula Is a Verb

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Doula Is a Verb

At Elephant Circle, we like to say “Doula Is a Verb.” This simple sentence reflects a specific philosophy about our values and commitment to doula-work*.

Our philosophy includes 5 core principles:

  1. Doula-work does not need to be professionalized in order to work or be valuable for the clients and communities doulas work alongside.

  2. Doula-work in the U.S. today happens in the context of the broader perinatal health care system where inequity is built-in; doulas are only one strategy we have to equip people with tools and resources inside of these systems and spaces.

  3. Doula-work is connected to a long history of care-work that has been systematically deprioritized and devalued inside of patriarchy and white supremacy.

  4. Healthy communities have doulas.

  5. Pregnant people are experts; they are best positioned to navigate their pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

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Effectively Partnering with Communities in Research to Improve Maternal Health Outcomes

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“Effectively Partnering with Communities in Research to Improve Maternal Health Outcomes and Reduce Disparities: Using Research to Create Community-Centered Policy” held on March 10, 2022. Hosted by Maternal Health Coordinating Committee (MHCC) of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

the 508-compliant webinar recording is now available for public viewing at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en47IZa_fOA

 

Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act Webinar

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Elephant Circle participated in the creation and presentation of this webinar about the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act and the Comprehensive Addiction Recovery Act for the New York State Department of Health. Much of the information presented is relevant for a wider audience, including anyone who is a "mandatory reporter" under state law. The presentation contextualizes the family regulation system and its impact on families including people who use drugs during pregnancy. Click on this link to register to access the recording.