“Stop abusing your power”: the other side of the hospital poster
- Pooja Mistry
- Jul 14
- 4 min read
Walk into almost any hospital or maternity unit and you’ll likely see bold posters plastered across the walls that say:
“We will not tolerate abuse against our staff.”
And rightly so—no one should be subject to verbal or physical harm in their workplace. But what happens when the abuse is coming from the institution itself? What happens when the people experiencing harm are birthing women, particularly women of colour, who are already navigating an overstretched, under-supported, and often dismissive system?
It’s time to talk about the quiet, sanctioned abuse happening in our hospitals—and how it’s not always loud or violent, but it’s deeply embedded in everyday maternity care.
Medical abuse in the birth space
Medical abuse doesn’t always look like dramatic malpractice. Sometimes, it’s subtle. It looks like a woman not being told all her options. It looks like someone saying, “We’re just going to break your waters now,” without asking for consent. It looks like ignoring a birth plan. It looks like eye rolls, rushed procedures, or cold silence when a woman asks a question.
This is especially true for women who are uninformed or ill-informed about their birth rights. Too often, people walk into hospital rooms not knowing that they have the right to decline an intervention, ask for a second opinion, or even leave. The culture of maternity care has conditioned many to believe that if something is being done by a professional in scrubs, it must be necessary. That is simply not true.
Medical Racism: a scary reality for Women of Colour
And for women of colour—especially Black and Brown women—the stakes are even higher.
Study after study has shown that Black women are more likely to be ignored, disbelieved, and have their pain minimised. South Asian women also face harmful stereotypes that influence their care. Medical racism isn’t about individual bad apples; it’s about a system that consistently treats some bodies as more valuable, more trustworthy, and more deserving of gentle care than others.
It’s not just offensive. It’s dangerous.
Women of colour are dying at higher rates. They are more likely to have traumatic births. And they are less likely to be listened to—even when they know something is wrong.
The Maternity Crisis: no Midwives, no Support
Let’s be clear: many midwives and healthcare professionals are doing their best under impossible conditions. They are burnt out, short-staffed, and pulled in every direction. There is a national shortage of midwives and a growing mental health crisis among those still in the job.
This crisis directly impacts birthing women. Without enough midwives, there is no time for proper care, for informed conversations, for emotional support. Women are rushed in and out. Choices become limited. Support becomes inconsistent. Care becomes clinical, not compassionate.
But the solution isn’t to excuse coercion or mistreatment. The solution is to fund and support our maternity services properly—so no one gets hurt.
Coercion Is Not Consent
Far too many birthing women are told they are “consenting” to something when in reality, they felt they had no choice.
Some common coercive tactics include:
“If you don’t do this, your baby could die.”
“It’s hospital policy.”
“Everyone gets this.”
“There’s no time to explain.”
This is not informed consent. This is compliance through fear.
True consent means having all the information, being given time to consider, and being made to feel like you can say no without being punished, judged, or abandoned. Anything less is coercion—and it is a form of medical abuse.
Language and body language matter
A birthing woman is one of the most vulnerable people in any healthcare setting. She is often scared, in pain, and looking for reassurance. The words you use—how you speak, your tone, your posture, your facial expressions—all make a difference.
Saying things like “don’t be silly” or “you’re making it harder for yourself” might not sound violent, but they cut deep. They leave scars. They shape how a woman remembers her birth—and whether she walks away feeling empowered or traumatised.
Respectful communication isn’t a luxury. It’s the baseline.
So, let’s be honest: It works both ways
Healthcare providers hold immense power. That power can be healing—or it can be harmful. So if you’re in the business of protecting your staff from abuse (as you should be), then protect your patients too. And if you are desensitised to that then it's pretty clear that you need to reconsider your career choice!
Stop abusing your power. It works both ways.
Let’s build a maternity system where respect flows in both directions. Where safety means more than statistics. Where every woman—regardless of race, knowledge, or status—feels held, heard, and honoured in her birth experience.
And if you are a birthing woman reading this and unsure of how to tackle the current state of the Maternity Crisis, I would love to support your journey!
DISCLOSURE: Not everyone will meet medical abuse but this blog is to open your eyes as to knowing how prepared you are to manage this IF you are faced with it and whether you are willing to take the risk?
Pooja xo
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