The Respectful Maternity Care Charter
The Respectful Maternity Care (RMC) Charter is a normative document that was developed collaboratively by researchers, clinicians, program implementers, and advocates, outlines a rights-based approach to many aspects of care. The Charter is based on universally recognised international instruments to which many countries are signatories, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights; and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women.
The seven rights of childbearing women it describes are the rights to:
1) Freedom from harm and ill treatment;
2)Information,informedconsent,andrefusal,andrespect for choices and preferences, including the right to a companion of choice wherever possible;
3) Confidentiality and privacy;
4) Dignity and respect;
5) Equality, freedom from discrimination, and equitable care;
6) Timely healthcare and the highest attainable level of health;
7) Liberty, autonomy, self-determination, and freedom from coercion
Campaigners have called for respectful care and protection of all childbearing women, especially the marginalised and vulnerable, such as adolescents, minorities, and women with disabilities (Amnesty International, 2010; White Ribbon Alliance, 2011; World Health Organization, 2015).
Although there is no consensus on what constitutes respectful care, the emerging respectful maternity care (RMC) movement generally advocates for a patient-centered care approach based on respect for women’s basic human rights and clinical evidence. The RMC Charter, a normative document that was developed collaboratively by researchers, clinicians, program implementers, and advocates, outlines a rights-based approach to many aspects of care. The Charter is based on universally recognized international instruments to which many countries are signatories, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights;and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women.