Birth Rights: Zine
The Birth Rights studio focused on the issues around maternal and infant mortality in Pittsburgh, PA, and how the built environment and design can affect birth outcomes.
In the first half of the semester, students researched maternal health in the US and Pittsburgh - through literature, case studies, interviews with birth professionals and advocates, and analysis of current systems in Pittsburgh - resulting in this collection of zines.
The collection includes three series:
Public:
This single introduction zine offers a broad picture understanding of maternal and infant mortality and morbidity in the US and Pittsburgh.
This zines is meant to give any member of the public a greater understanding of maternal health issues in the US, and serve as a launching pad for reproductive advocates and birthing people to go on to the next relevant zine series.
2. Reproductive Advocates:
This zine series provides information on issues, especially issues of access and racial discrimination, and best practices, backed by quantifiable outcomes in maternal and infant health.
3. Birthing People:
This zine series is a set of guides for pregnant people on potential options for their birth plan, finding available resources, and their rights as a pregnant person. The next phase of this studio will be individual projects that propose solutions to the issues outlined and build on the best practices we have studied.
My specific research in this studio centered on two zines:
Reproductive Advocates : Restricted Access
This zine explains the causes of maternal death, issues and solutions regarding access, hospital locations, and doula care.
Birthing People : Support and Wellbeing
This zine explains birthing types and professionals, self advocacy, support types, doula care, and group support.
Additionally, I was on a team of three that was in charge of designing and printing the zine’s covers.
