ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how women of child-bearing age have been uniquely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It takes up persisting tensions between autonomy and paternalism, as well as the power imbalances that shape a woman’s ability to freely exercise autonomy over her own healthcare decisions. In doing so, it discusses borders drawn between social groups, namely, those borders isolating pregnant women from both community and care. These borders include timely access to vaccinations (or the lack thereof), as well as barriers experienced by pregnant people in accessing hospitals and healthcare. Ultimately, this chapter argues that women’s health—and particularly reproductive health—is uniquely and disproportionately affected by healthcare crises and, as such, must be reflected in local and international approaches to public health disasters.
