My name is Lei-Le Christenson, and when I gave birth to my daughter, I experienced something that no mother should ever have to go through—my placenta was taken without my consent.

I wasn’t asked. I wasn’t informed. I wasn’t even acknowledged. I only realized later that my placenta was missing—a part of my body, my birth, my baby’s origin—removed without discussion, permission, or documentation. As I began to ask questions, I discovered I was far from alone.

Across the country, birthing people—especially women of color—are experiencing a disturbing trend:

Hospitals retaining placental tissue without consent

Mothers denied access to their own medical records or misled about what happened

Suspicious gaps in documentation around delivery and afterbirth handling

A rising concern over placental tissue being sold or used in research without disclosure

The placenta is sacred, biological, and belongs to the mother until she says otherwise. Removing it without consent is medical theft—and possibly bioethical exploitation.

 

This isn’t just about me. It’s happening everywhere:

Mothers are disrespected and dehumanized during and after labor

Consent is treated as optional

Medical institutions act as if they own our bodies once we’re under their care

Placenta harvesting and medical experimentation are real industries—and we deserve transparency

It is not paranoid or ungrateful to ask what happened to our bodies. It is our right.

 

We Demand:

A full investigation into non-consensual placenta retention and related malpractice in Wisconsin hospitals

A statewide policy requiring written and verbal consent for all post-birth tissue handling, including placentas

An audit of hospitals and labs that have received placental tissue from birthing patients in the last 10 years

Federal recognition that placental rights fall under medical autonomy and informed consent laws

 

Legal Grounds:

Informed Consent Laws – require providers to get explicit patient permission for any procedure or removal of biological tissue (Wis. Stat. § 448.30)

HIPAA & Right to Medical Records – ensures patients access to all documentation about their own care

Federal Bioethics Regulations (45 CFR 46) – protect human subjects in medical research, including tissue use

U.S. Constitution – 14th Amendment – protects bodily autonomy and due process in medical decisions

 

Hospitals are not above the law, and our placentas are not theirs to take. This is about birth justice, medical ethics, and the sacred relationship between mothers and their bodies.

 

Sign this petition if you believe no one should lose a part of themselves without consent—especially in the moment they become a mother.