ABSTRACT
This research uses a reproductive justice framework to explore obstetric policy in the United States in the wake of COVID-19. The chapter examines three core areas of the birth experience that are impacted by the pandemic – birth setting, birth support, and birth services. It explores the ways in which COVID-19 obstetric policies and practices heighten reproductive injustices and how these injustices map onto women’s lives in differential ways; race, class, nationality, and type of healthcare coverage are all important factors that shape a pregnant individual’s ability to navigate birth under COVID-19 restrictions. The chapter articulates the importance of considering the ways in which COVID-19 obstetric policies may result in higher rates of maternal mortality for birthing individuals of color.
