Our country’s history of anti-Black racism is deeply ingrained in every aspect of American society, especially our institutions and systems. Our health care system is not exempt from this harsh reality and has a painful legacy of racism that continues to harm Black communities to this day.
We know that interpersonal and structural racism in medicine has led to enormous inequities in care delivery, patient experiences, and health outcomes for Black communities. Black people face greater barriers to accessing and utilizing health care. They are more likely to face social, political, and economic issues that negatively impact their health, including poverty, housing, and food insecurity. Black people commonly experience discrimination and bias within service providers and health care organizations.
These inequities are exacerbated by the greater impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Black communities compared to white people, and by ongoing police violence against Black people like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others. The same goes for today’s mass incarceration crisis.
This may be most evident in the maternal health sector, where Black women and those giving birth face unimaginable and lethal threats to their autonomy, health, and safety every day. Pregnancy and childbirth should be a time of joy and excitement for anyone who wants to become a parent. But for too many Black women and families, it's terrifying.
This Black History Month, as we embark on a critical election year, we must shine a light on the Black maternal health crisis and fight for a healthy future for Black women and families.
There is no reason for Black women to worry that health care providers will ignore our concerns, diminish our suffering, and put our lives at risk simply because of our race.
As a Black mother and advocate for reproductive health, rights, and justice, I know firsthand how important this fight is and how brutal and brutal our health care system can be for Black women. At various stages of my life, I have navigated the healthcare system knowing that at any moment my pain could be ignored, my questions could be unanswered, my concerns could be ignored. I want to state explicitly that this type of harm occurs at all levels of the health care structure. From community health centers serving primarily Medicaid or uninsured patients to New York City's tallest, brightest, state-of-the-art medical facilities. , especially Manhattan, which serves the rich and famous.
This is the depth and breadth of racism. There are no limits. Black women like me have suffered, our humanity, and our autonomy diminished for centuries. Why are we constantly told that we have no authority over our bodies? As a mother of black children, I know that the most important thing I can do for my family and community is to encourage us to honor our own experiences and speak truth to power. You know when something is wrong and when you are not being treated with the dignity you deserve. Speak your mind even if your voice trembles.
Listening to our bodies can literally save our lives. In my position at Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, I lead the critically important work of encouraging providers to identify, examine, and change racial bias within themselves and the systems in which they operate. This process of learning, unlearning, and rebuilding is the only way to change the systems around us and create a better world for Black women and all people.
We've all heard the statistics. Black parents are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white parents, and in New York State, pregnancy-related mortality rates are, on average, 9.2 times higher for black parents than for white parents. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) 2021 Maternal Mortality Report found that in the United States, parental mortality (or the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births) has worsened 89% since 2018, while non-maternal mortality has increased 89%. From 2019 to 2021, Hispanic black women were 2.6 times more likely to die than non-Hispanic white women.
The most prevalent factors associated with parental mortality include quality of care, underlying chronic conditions (e.g., high blood pressure, infection, or heart disease), and significant bleeding. We live in one of the wealthiest countries on Earth, with abundant resources for everyone who needs them, and yet we continue to see Black women and families being left out of health care. Providing care from a culturally humble perspective and being responsive to patients' lived experiences ensures that Black birthing women's voices are heard and validated when receiving care. The moment we begin to consider people's experiences and histories, and their intersections with broader oppression, we can approach the important issue of parental death more holistically and compassionately, with an eye toward justice.
Black parents deserve to be seen, embraced, and supported during pregnancy, the birth experience, the postpartum period, and every stage of their reproductive lives. We deserve access to the social, economic, and environmental resources we need to build strong, healthy, and safe families and communities. There is no reason for Black women to worry that health care providers will ignore our concerns, diminish our suffering, and put our lives at risk simply because of our race.
We need quick and immediate action for birth justice. And by promising a prosperous future for Black pregnant women, new mothers, and families, we do so for everyone else. When we care for Black women, we care for our entire community. We have bold, visionary policies that allow for support such as midwives and obstetricians, cultural humility and anti-racism training for health professionals, and more maternity leave, prenatal care and postnatal support, and greater awareness and resources for mental health issues. Change is needed. After pregnancy.
Every family has the right to thrive and live with dignity and opportunity. This starts with a safe, healthy and compassionate pregnancy and birth. And we cannot continue to leave black women behind. Please join me this Black History Month and fight for the care and compassion that Black women have always deserved. Our lives depend on it.