Supportive Organization Brings up Important Issue
Received this e-mail today. Points out another rarely mentioned consequence of lack of true informed consent. I was unaware of the extent of this problem and want to thank Jennifer Zimmerman for her good work. Check out her link in the supporters column.
Hello, I am from the non-profit organization Solace for Mothers: Healing After Traumatic Childbirth (http://www.solaceformothers.org/). I am very interested in your case because we have identified a lack of informed consent and the ability to refuse care as a major risk factor in developing traumatic stress (or PTSD) symptoms after childbirth. Women are unable to get a lawyer if their legal rights to informed consent and refusal were violated and caused them PTSD. Lawyers simply will not take these cases, which means that providers are free to trample over women's rights with no punishment for their illegal actions. Having a lack of true informed consent is leading to more and more women suffering from postpartum PTSD, which is often misdiagnosed and treated as postpartum depression. Our organization will soon launch a letter writing campaign to Lynn Rosenthal, the newly appointed Presidential Advisor on Violence Against Women (an office within the Department of Justice). We intend to inform her of the violence that is happening against women in maternity care, and the effect it has on these women. If you would like to add your voice to this campaign, I will inform you of when we begin.
Jennifer Zimmerman
Project Coordinator
Solace for Mothers, Inc.
www.solaceformothers.org
Hello, I am from the non-profit organization Solace for Mothers: Healing After Traumatic Childbirth (http://www.solaceformothers.org/). I am very interested in your case because we have identified a lack of informed consent and the ability to refuse care as a major risk factor in developing traumatic stress (or PTSD) symptoms after childbirth. Women are unable to get a lawyer if their legal rights to informed consent and refusal were violated and caused them PTSD. Lawyers simply will not take these cases, which means that providers are free to trample over women's rights with no punishment for their illegal actions. Having a lack of true informed consent is leading to more and more women suffering from postpartum PTSD, which is often misdiagnosed and treated as postpartum depression. Our organization will soon launch a letter writing campaign to Lynn Rosenthal, the newly appointed Presidential Advisor on Violence Against Women (an office within the Department of Justice). We intend to inform her of the violence that is happening against women in maternity care, and the effect it has on these women. If you would like to add your voice to this campaign, I will inform you of when we begin.
Jennifer Zimmerman
Project Coordinator
Solace for Mothers, Inc.
www.solaceformothers.org