“The dead baby card!” Exploring Obstetric Violence Through Sensitive Arts-Based Research

Evidence on obstetric violence is reported globally and is recognized as a human rights violation. While widely documented in low and middle income countries, little is known about the characteristics and nature of disrespect and abuse in perinatal services in high resource countries such as Canada. In this talk, Dr. Kaveri Mayra presents findings from two arts-based studies conducted in India and Canada that bring these experiences to light in powerful and unexpected ways.

Drawing on body mapping and feminist relational discourse methods, Dr. Mayra’s research centers the voices of those who have experienced disrespect and abuse in perinatal care. Through poetry and visual storytelling, participants from both countries share what respectful, and disrespectful, care actually looked and felt like. Findings highlight specific gaps including the need for culture-matched care, trauma-informed support for those experiencing loss, and greater access to midwifery and doula care.

One striking thread connecting both studies is a poem titled “The Dead Baby Card,” referencing a globally recognized form of verbal coercion used to obtain consent without clear explanation. Its presence in both India and Canada speaks to the reach and persistence of obstetric violence across vastly different health systems.

Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of how arts-based research offers sensitive and powerful methods for exploring this issue, and what person-centered, respectful care must look like to create meaningful and lasting change.