DECOLONIZATION OF THE MIDWIFE CURRICULUM: A CRITICAL REFLECTION FOR REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE IN HEALTH.

Abstract

Midwifery faces contemporary challenges that require a critical update of their resume. The urgency to decolonize midwifery education arises from the need to overcome the injustices derived from the colonial era, manifested in violence, racism and Eurocentrism. Colonization impacted medicine through the imposition of Western scientific thought that translates into health systems that reflect colonial exclusion and exploitation, perpetuating inequalities and dehumanization. In midwifery, the lack of cultural representation reinforces systemic stigmas and inequalities and ignores traditional practices.

Decolonizing the midwifery curriculum is essential to address inequities and improve care, reflecting an effort to recognize and correct the imbalances and injustices bequeathed by colonialism. Although challenging, this process is crucial to ensure inclusive and equitable reproductive health care, in order to make reproductive justice effective by addressing systemic inequalities in access and control of reproductive resources, considering an intersectionality perspective. This reflective essay exposes a critical position that advocates the need to decolonize the midwifery curriculum as a fundamental step for the training of professionals who focus their attention on the needs of women with a broad sense of justice.