Florida maternal health guide

At SBJN, we’re excited to have laid the groundwork for more meaningful conversations about reproductive and birth justice. We’ve put together this resource guide for the birthing community in Florida, designed to serve as a helpful tool for access and advocacy.

So, why did we feel inspired to create this guide? The Miami Birth Justice Initiative, led by the Southern Birth Justice Network in partnership with the Florida Health Justice Project, aims to tackle implicit bias, racial health disparities, unnecessary interventions like C-sections, obstetric violence, and the right to access midwives and doulas. Together, we’re organizing to address institutional oppression in local hospitals by focusing on leadership development, promoting self-determination, and building community power to foster a fair and just society that embodies the values of Birth Justice. This begins with you - we want you to know your rights when it comes to accessing insurance options, finding the right healthcare providers, building your birth plan, and what to do if your rights have been violated. 

Here’s what we believe in: 

• Birth Justice means stopping obstetric violence and medical racism and ending health disparities disproportionately impacting Black and Indigenous families.

• Birth Justice means that mamas, babies, and families can go through pregnancy healthy and whole.

• Birth Justice represents our sacred right to experience joyful births. It means we look to ancient technologies and wisdom to help guide us as we navigate the complexities of today’s digital age.

• Birth Justice asserts that your body is yours alone, and you never need to give up your power or dignity to a system that wasn’t designed to support you.