The Asian Mother and Baby Campaign: the construction of ethnic minorities' health needs

Abstract

This paper discusses the Asian Mother and Baby Campaign, an initiative in health promotion which aims to promote better maternity services for Asian women. The Campaign has been sponsored by the DHSS and the Save the Children Fund since in launch in September 1984. What is under consideration here is the medical, social and political background to the Campaign. How the Campaign relates to such issues as the interpretation of perinatal mortality rates, women's rights in obstetric care and racism in the NHS will be examined. The overall argument is that the Campaign, in its initial conception and objectives, represents an attempt by health authorities, to create a consensus among health professionals on how to meet the health needs of Asian mothers. Its reformist intentions tend to col lude, at the ideological level, with an image of a 'Black pathology' although they represent a genuine attempt to challenge personal racism. It is this core tension in the Campaign which will be discussed.