The detrimental effects of obstetric evacuation on Aboriginal women’s health

• Published in: University of Western Ontario Medical Journal
• Main Author: Corrado, Ann Marie
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Western Libraries 2017
• Subjects: Indigenous health; obstetrics; health policy; First Nations
• Online Access: https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/uwomj/article/view/2000

In Western society, many colonial practices, such as the removal of Aboriginal women from their communities prior to birth, still detrimentally affects Aboriginal peoples’ lives. Health Canada’s evacuation policy for pregnant Aboriginal women living in rural and remote areas involves nurses, who are employed by the federal government, coordinating the transfer of all pregnant women to urban cities at 36-38 weeks gestational age to await the birth of their baby.1 The policy states that it is founded on concerns for the wellbeing of Aboriginal women, in an attempt to “curb First Nations’ child and maternal mortality rates”.1 However, there is a need to problematize the practice of obstetric evacuation given its colonial roots and its impact on Aboriginal women. The objective of this review paper is to explore and bring awareness to some of the consequences of Canada’s evacuation policy for pregnant Aboriginal women who live in rural and remote regions. Morespecifically, this paper, drawing on ethnographic research previouslyconducted with Canadian Aboriginal women on theirlived experiences of prenatal care and birth, will examine the lack of social support, loss of control, and lack of culturally competent care that Aboriginal women face. The findings demonstrate an urgent need for policy makers to also consider the lived experience of Aboriginal women when making decisions that impact their health.