In this paper I assess the labour ward admission policies introduced by some National Health Service (NHS) trusts during the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing that these intersected with other policies in a manner which may have coerced birthing people into consenting to vaginal examinations they might have otherwise refused. In order to fully understand the potential severity of these policies, I situate this critique in the historical and contemporary context of the problematic relationship between consent and vaginal examinations. Identifying the legal wrongs associated with performing coerced vaginal examinations, I highlight that the law is inadequately equipped to provide appropriate redress. Further, I illustrate that the issue explored in this paper reflects broader problems which exist with regard to the focus of, and the (under)investment in, the maternity services.

在本文中，我评估了一些国家卫生服务 (NHS) 信托在 COVID-19 大流行期间引入的产房入院政策，认为这些政策与其他政策的交叉方式可能迫使分娩的人同意他们可能进行的阴道检查否则拒绝。为了充分理解这些政策的潜在严重性，我将这一批评置于同意与阴道检查之间存在问题的关系的历史和当代背景下。在确定与进行强制阴道检查相关的法律错误时，我强调法律不足以提供适当的补救措施。此外，我还说明，本文探讨的问题反映了在关注和（不足）投资方面存在的更广泛的问题，