The Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) is deeply concerned about the recent social media videos depicting Black women in labor who were ignored, dismissed, or treated harshly by nursing staff. These events highlight the persistent influence of racial bias within healthcare systems, where Black and Brown women continue to face disproportionate mistreatment, delayed responses, and inadequate care during pregnancy and childbirth. These incidents are unacceptable and reflect systemic inequities that undermine safety, dignity, and trust.

AWHONN unequivocally condemns disrespectful, discriminatory, or unsafe practices in all healthcare settings. Every person has the right to high-quality, compassionate, evidence-based maternity care delivered with dignity and respect.

Respectful Maternity Care (RMC) is an approach that emphasizes the rights of women, newborns, and families, promoting equitable evidence-based care while recognizing unique needs and preferences (Shakibazadeh et al., 2018). Attitudes and behaviors of health care providers, entrenched in cultural norms, and implicit and explicit bias may cause harm during interactions (Howell et al., 2018). These factors may place patients at greater risk for not receiving attention to individual concerns or quality of care, specifically in the intrapartum and postpartum periods (Levine & Lowe, 2015; Miller et al., 2016; Saluja & Bryant, 2021).

These incidents underscore the urgent need for continued accountability, education, and systemic change. Nurses play a critical role in ensuring safety and equity throughout the perinatal period, and we must collectively confront the biases and structural inequities that contribute to racial disparities in maternal outcomes.
AWHONN remains committed to:
• Advocating for policies and practices that advance racial equity and eliminate preventable maternal morbidity and mortality.
• Providing education and resources to support nurses in delivering equitable, person-centered, trauma-informed, and respectful maternity care.
• Promoting organizational cultures in which patients’ voices, concerns, and lived experiences are honored and acted upon.
• Collaborating with partners, communities, and stakeholders to ensure accountability and systemic improvement.
Every patient deserves to be heard, supported, and treated with dignity. AWHONN stands with the individuals affected by these incidents and reaffirms our commitment to ensuring that respectful, equitable maternity care is the standard everywhere.

Explore AWHONN’s Respectful Maternity Care Program.
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