"These Issues Aren't Separate": The Relationship Among Being Indigenous, Motherhood, and the Criminal Justice System.

In using an approach encompassing intersectionality and interconnectedness, we highlight how the experiences of Indigenous mothers and mother figures in contact with the law are a result of various historical and contemporary events. We highlight a need for a wholistic approach to eliminate the overrepresentation of Indigenous Peoples, including parents, in the criminal justice system. There is a lack of research and discussion on Indigenous women and their experience with the justice system and by using an Indigenous lens, we can explore the establishment of culturally safe resources and care wherein gender inclusivity is prioritized. Our team of researchers and advocates intends for this article to contribute and spark dialogue on Indigenous Peoples, particularly mothers and mother figures and their interactions with the justice system. Although this article mainly focuses on federal programs and policies in Canada, insights on the barriers to care can be applied into policy and practice across multiple settler states.

Indigenous Women's Resistance of Colonial Policies, Practices, and Reproductive Coercion.

This analysis of urban Indigenous women's experiences on the Homeland of the Métis and Treaty One (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada), Treaty Four (Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada), and Treaty Six (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada) territories illustrates that Indigenous women have recently experienced coercion when interacting with healthcare and social service providers in various settings. Drawing on analysis of media, study conversations, and policies, this collaborative, action-oriented project with 32 women and Two-Spirit collaborators demonstrated a pattern of healthcare and other service providers subjecting Indigenous women to coercive practices related to tubal ligations, long-term contraceptives, and abortions. We foreground techniques Indigenous women use to assert their rights within contexts of reproductive coercion, including acts of refusal, negotiation, and sharing community knowledge. By recognizing how colonial relations shape Indigenous women's experiences, decision-makers and service providers can take action to transform institutional cultures so Indigenous women can navigate their reproductive decision-making with safety and dignity.

"This policy sucks and it's stupid:" Mapping maternity care for First Nations women on reserves in Manitoba, Canada.

First Nations women who live on rural and remote reserves in Canada leave their communities between 36 and 38 weeks gestational age to receive labor and birthing services in large urban centers. The process and administrative details of this process are undocumented despite decades of relocation as a routine component of maternity care. Using data from 32 semistructured interviews and information from peer-reviewed literature, grey literature, and public documents, I constructed a descriptive map and a visual representation of the policy. I present new and detailed information about Canada's health policy as well as recommendations to address the health care gaps identified.

Canada's evacuation policy for pregnant First Nations women: Resignation, resilience, and resistance.

BACKGROUND: Aboriginal peoples in Canada are comprised of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit. Health care services for First Nations who live on rural and remote reserves are mostly provided by the Government of Canada through the federal department, Health Canada. One Health Canada policy, the evacuation policy, requires all First Nations women living on rural and remote reserves to leave their communities between 36 and 38 weeks gestational age and travel to urban centres to await labour and birth. Although there are a few First Nations communities in Canada that have re-established community birthing and Aboriginal midwifery is growing, most First Nations communities are still reliant on the evacuation policy for labour and birthing services. In one Canadian province, Manitoba, First Nations women are evacuated to The Pas, Thompson, or Winnipeg but most - including all women with high-risk pregnancies - go to Winnipeg. AIM: To contribute scholarship that describes First Nations women's and community members' experiences and perspectives of Health Canada's evacuation policy in Manitoba. METHODS: Applying intersectional theory to data collected through 12 semi-structured interviews with seven women and five community members (four females, one male) in Manitoba who had experienced the evacuation policy. The data were analyzed thematically, which revealed three themes: resignation, resilience, and resistance. FINDINGS: The theme of resignation was epitomized by the quote, "Nobody has a choice." The ability to withstand and endure the evacuation policy despite poor or absent communication and loneliness informed of resilience. Resistance was demonstrated by women who questioned the necessity and requirement of evacuation for labour and birth. In one instance, resistance took the form of a planned homebirth with Aboriginal registered midwives. CONCLUSION: There is a pressing need to improve the maternity care services that First Nations women receive when they are evacuated out of their communities, particularly when understood from the specific legal and constitutional position of First Nations women in Manitoba.