Healthcare Plagued by Colonial Violence: An Analysis of Reproductive Justice and Collective Care in Haiti

Haiti’s healthcare system has been defined by its current and historical geopolitical environment. Colonial violence and natural disasters, especially, have left hospitals lacking infrastructure, supplies, funding, and workers. Consequently, Haiti has the highest maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in the Western Hemisphere: an imperative indicator of the quality of reproductive care. Deeper evidence is limited due to the absence of data collection and census within Haiti’s current political climate. Adopting abolitionist and reproductive justice frameworks, this thesis analyzes the effectiveness of non-governmental organizations and Haitian community care collectives in improving access to reproductive health services in Haiti, while applying a critical lens to the ethical role of non-governmental organizations in state building. Using data on Haiti and other countries with similar MMR from PIH, PAHO, The World Bank, WHO, etc., this work builds on existing analyses to identify the key practices that improve maternal survival. Simultaneously, it will discuss the importance of cultural and community health practices in defining and measuring quality care. By examining these multiple dimensions, findings shed light on the transformative potential of care collectives and challenge the reductive global narratives that define Haiti and its people as victims rather than agents of change.