With the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak, pregnant women are now being forced to deliver their babies without their support partners. This is unacceptable. Hospitals should make reasonable accommodations for women who are giving birth. Some places are allowing 1 partner, and the partner must stay in the room for the duration of the hospital stay. Others are simply denying any form of support partner. The WHO organization agrees that a positive labor and delivery experience includes the woman’s right to a companion person, even during this pandemic. The state of New York has recently ordered that hospitals lift these bans and allow a support person in the room. Labor and delivery is an extremely sensitive time for a woman, and not having a support partner can cause emotional trauma and stress on the mother and ultimately the baby. Women with mental health issues will face this alone, and may end up with intensified mental health issues if they have a traumatic experience which is not uncommon in childbirth. Fathers have just as much of a right to be there for the birth of their baby as well. 

https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-on-covid-19-pregnancy-childbirth-and-breastfeeding

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/03/29/health/new-york-hospital-childbirth-policy-overturned/index.html