BirthJusticeCaseStudies

December2016

Context
Doulasarelayworkerswhoprovideemotional,informationalandphysicalsupportbefore,
duringandafterbirthforindividualsandtheirfamilies.Withadoula,birthingpeopletendto:

havefewermedicalproceduresandinterventions
adecreasedriskofhavingacsection
uselesspainmedication
haveshorterlabors
bondbetterwiththeirinfant
feelbetterabouttheirbirthexperience.

BirthJusticeoccurswhenallpregnantpeopleareempoweredduringpregnancy,labor,childbirth
andpostpartumtomakehealthydecisionsforthemselvesandtheirbabies.Webelieve
everyonehasarighttothislevelofsupportandcare,howeversignificantandsystemichealth
disparities,biasanddiscriminationoftenpreventthisfromhappening.Forexample:

BirthJusticeProject
In2011agroupavolunteerdoulasatSanFranciscoGeneralHospitalwereapproachedbyDr.
CarolynSufrin,anOB/GYNwhowasprovidingperinatalcareintheSFCountyJail.Outofthat
conversationBirthJusticeProject(BJP)formedtoexplorethepossibilityofprovidingdoulacare
inthejailsetting.ShortlythereafterBJPdoulaswereabletoestablishdoulaservicesforthose
incarceratedinSFCountyJailthisincludedoneononeperinatalandpostpartummeetingsas
wellascontinuouslabor/birthsupport.In2013BJPestablishedsimilardoulaservicesin
AlamedaCountyatSantaRitaJailwhereinthefirstyearalonedoulasworkedwithover**
women,includingsupportduringthebirthsof**womenduringincarceration.Additionally,BJP
hasfacilitatedaweeklydoulacircleinbothsettings,ahealthempowermentgroupwhose
contentiscodeterminedandcoledwithcircleparticipants.Asamostlywhiteand/orprivileged
groupofdoulas,BJPhascommittedto1)shifttheparadigmofreproductivejusticeworkfrom
whitevolunteerismtocommunitycreatedandrepresentativeworkand2)leverageourprivilege
tointentionallyaccessandcreatechangewithinthemedicalandprisonindustrialcomplexes.
Theprojectsbelowaresomeexamplesofactiontowardthosecommitments.Andwhile
historicallyBJPsjailbaseddoulaworkhasbeenunpaid,recentlywehaveshiftedtocohold
thisworkwithdoulasofcolorfromtheRootsofLaborBirthCollectiveandhavesecuredfunds
topaydoulasforthisworkforthefirsttime.http://birthjusticeproject.org/
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EastBayCommunityBirthSupportProject
BirthJusticeProjecthadbeenprovidingdoulasforpregnantorrecentlypregnantpeoplewho
wereincarceratedintheSanFranciscoCountyJail.Anumberofincarceratedclientsexpressed
interestinbecomingdoulasthemselves,whichsparkedtheideatoofferadoulatrainingfor
formerlyincarceratedwomen.Meanwhile,BlackWomenBirthingJustice(BWBJ)was
documentingthebirthexperiencesofAfricanAmerican,African,Caribbean,andmultiracial
womenresultingincriticalqualitativeresearchthatbroadenedthefieldsunderstandingof
racialdisparitiesinperinatalcare(BirthingJustice,2015).Throughthiswork,itbecameclear
thattherewasaneedformoredoulasofcolorwhowouldbeuniquelypositionedtoprovide
culturallyappropriatedoulacare.InpartnershipwithUCSF,BJPandBWBJformedtheEast
BayCommunityBirthSupportProject(EBCBSP),adoulatrainingprogramforformerly
incarceratedand/orlowincomewomenofcolor.In2013EBCBSPsinauguraldoulatrainees
received48hoursofinclassroomtrainingfollowedbyoneononementoringastheyeach
supportedtheirfirstfivebirthingfamilies.Bythetimeourfirstcohortof15doulasgraduatedin
May2015theyhadalreadysupportedover60birthingfamilieswhowouldnototherwisebeable
toafforddoulasupport.

EastBayCommunityBirthSupportProject:
Equipsdoulatraineeswithvocationalskills
Providesdoulacaretothosewhocouldn'totherwiseaffordit
Contributestotransformativeandempoweringbirthexperiences.

Increasingthenumberofdoulasofcolorinourcommunity:
Increasesawarenessabouttheroleandvalueofbirthsupport
Birthingparentshavetheoptiontochoosedoulaswholooklikeandrelateto
them
Returnsbirthworktothecommunitiesthathavebeensystematically
disenfranchised
Workstowardclosingthehealthinequitygapbetweenwhitewomenandwomenof
color.

Avideoaboutthisprojectcanbeviewedhere:
www.indiegogo.com/projects/vocationaldoulatrainingforwomenofcolor#/story

RootsofLaborBirthCollective
AnumberofgraduatesfromtheEBCBSPdoulatrainingprogramexpressedaninterestin
ongoingcommunityandsupportwithotherdoulasofcolorastheybuilttheirdoulabusinesses.
SeveraldoulaspursuedandreceivedseedfundingandinAugust2016thecollectivelaunched
withover20doulamembers!http://www.rootsoflaborbc.com/meetthecollective.html

Toreadmoreaboutbirthjustice:

BirthingJustice:BlackWomen,Pregnancy,andChildbirth
byEdsJuliaOparah,AliciaBonaparte
https://www.amazon.com/BirthingJusticeBlackPregnancyChildbirth/dp/1138191450

Jailcare:FindingtheSafetyNetforWomenbehindBarsb
yCarolynSufrin
http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520288683

LearningfromWhatGoesWellProjectIn2016ateamofdoulasrepresentingboth
BJPandBWBJwereselectedasoneofthreeteamsinCaliforniadoinginnovative
domesticviolenceandsexualassaultwork.Readmoreaboutourworkwiththatproject
here:
http://fullframeinitiative.org/wpcontent/uploads/2016/09/CommunityDoulaProjectTeam
Summary.pdf

MothersinPrison:TheImpactofIncarcerationonPrisona28minutevideo
producedbythePennProjectonDocumentariesandtheLaw(Universityof
PennsylvaniainPhiladelphia).
https://youtu.be/pqTXt3jqchQ

EvaluationoftheEastBayCommunityBirthSupportProject,aCommunityBased
ProgramtoDecreaseRecidivisminPreviouslyIncarceratedWomen,byD.Stanley,
N.Sata,J.C.Oparah,andM.R.McLemore.JOGNN,00,182015.DOI:
10.1111/15526909.12760Apeerreviewedjournalarticlediscussingtheprogram
describedinthiscasestudy.NotcurrentlyavailablethroughCCSFlibrarydatabases.

OthergroupsprovidingdoulacareinjailandprisonsettingsintheU.S.include:
PrisonBirthProjecthttp://theprisonbirthproject.org/

DISCUSSIONQUESTIONS:

1. Whataresomeofthehealtheffectsthatyouwouldanticipateresultingforincarcerated
womenandtheirinfantswhohaveadouladuringlaborandbirth?

2. Whatimpactdoyouthinkitmighthaveonthehealthofformerlyincarceratedwomen
whotraintobecomeadoulaandpracticeasadoulaintheircommunities?

3. Inthiscasestudy,whatfactorsfacilitatedsuccessofthisintervention?Whatadditional
factorsdoyouthinkmadeitpossibleforwomeninjailandprisontogainaccessto
highqualityprenatalandbirthingcare,includingdoulas?

4. Ifyouhaveexperiencegivingbirthorcaringforaninfantwiththehelpofadoula,please
discusshow(ifatall)adoulasupportedyoursenseofempowerment.

5. Whatmorecanbedonetosupporthealthierandmoreempoweredbirthexperiences
amonglowincomewomen,womeninjailorprison,womenwithahistoryof
incarcerationorotherpopulationsofwomenwithsomedegreeofmarginalization?