Pregnancy is often romanticized in our society, depicted as a beautiful and natural experience for all women. However, for my mother, a biracial woman of color, it was the opposite — marked by severe complications, dismissive doctors and emotional trauma. For her and countless other Black women in the United States, this agonizing experience serves as a testament to the profound impact of racial biases in Black maternal healthcare.
Independent of wealth or status, the healthcare system continues to fail Black women. Black mothers and their newborns have higher mortality rates than those of other races or ethnicities.
Serena Williams, a world-renowned athlete, nearly lost her life due to dismissive medical treatment throughout her pregnancy. Despite her status and money, she had to persistently advocate for herself to receive the care she deserved. In Amy Schumer’s book “Arrival Stories: Women Share Their Experiences of Becoming Mothers,” Williams wrote:“Giving birth to my baby, it turned out, was a test for how loud and how often I would have to call out before I was finally heard.”
How can we claim that the field of medicine is advancing when Black women continue to face preventable maternal health crises due to systemic and implicit biases within the healthcare system? It is unconscionable that the country has a maternal mortality rate several times higher than other high-income nations.
Black maternal mortality is a very prevalent crisis.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause compared to white women in the United States. With a statistic that significant, it would be ignorant to claim that this issue is not one of racial bias. Black women also endure additional pain during medical procedures, as their suffering is routinely minimized or ignored. The tendency to blame Black women for this outcome deflects attention from the structural issues within healthcare.
While failing to address systemic racism and disparities in the healthcare system, detrimental maternal outcomes are often attributed to personal failings. Studies have shown that Black women are less likely to be taken seriously when expressing medical concerns and experience delays in care compared to white women. A study in 2016 found that medical providers endorsed the false belief that there is a biological difference in pain tolerance between white and Black women.
In today’s volatile political climate, the fight for Black maternal health could not be more urgent. For Black women, who already face a mountain of challenges related to their maternal mortality, threats to reproductive healthcare rights puts them at even greater risk. With more restricted options for women in general, the inequities and the risk of adverse health outcomes faced by Black women are further intensified.
Black-owned birthing centers, such as Kindred Space LA, offer a safe space for Black women in need of maternal healthcare. These birthing centers create a supportive and community-centered environment. Black mothers can feel heard and supported by the midwives and doulas who provide personalized care on a patient-by-patient basis. This creates a calm and unique experience compared to the hectic and impersonal atmosphere of most hospitals.
In an interview with midwife Kimberly Durdin, she explained the importance of giving birth in whatever environment feels safest for the patient: “For some people, that’s the hospital … But others are internalizing that something bad is going to happen to them, because of all the statistics and stories.”
As we strive to protect and expand reproductive rights, we must prioritize maternal health policies that explicitly address racial and intersectional disparities. This includes advocating for comprehensive state and federal policies that explicitly address the needs of Black women without bias, in turn addressing the vulnerabilities Black women face. To achieve this goal, Black women must have a voice in policy decisions, medical research and the construction of an equitable healthcare system. By addressing these structural issues, every woman will have access to safe and compassionate care.
As a college community composed of many future healthcare providers, there is a loud call to advocate for developments like Kindred Space LA and push for healthcare policies that support birthing options based on equity and cultural understanding. Supporting these developments isn’t solely about reducing disparities, but honoring every woman’s basic right to safe maternity care.
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