User:Mmpqv5/Black maternal mortality in the United States

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According to the CDC, black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy than white women are. Cardiomyopathy, thrombotic pulmonary embolism, and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy contributed more to pregnancy-related deaths among black women than among white women. Hospitals that serve predominately black people have higher rates of maternal complications than other hospitals. They also perform worse on birth outcomes, which includes elective deliveries, non-elective cesarean births and maternal mortality

"In addition, many medical and surgical techniques were developed by exploiting the bodies of enslaved black women." article An example of this is Sarah Baartman, Hottentot woman who was paraded around in circuses, measured and then dissected after the end of her life. A cast of her body, her skeleton, brain, and wax mold of her genitalia were once on display in a museum. After enslavement, black women were still exploited as their bodies were taken advantage of for medical gain. Henrietta Lacks was a black woman who had samples unknowingly taken of her cancerous cells. \  They gave some of that tissue to researcher George Gey without Lacks’ knowledge. It was found Lacks's cells have a remarkable capability to survive and reproduce.  The results and the tissue were shared with other scientists, and became an important part of biological research. For instance, they were essential in the development of the polio vaccine. For years after her death, scientists continued to use her cells, released her name, and released medical records to the media without her family's consent. The battle of Henrietta's bodily rights is not over yet though. On October 4th, 2021, the Lacks' estate announced that they will be suing the biotechnology company named Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., who says they have the intellectual rights of the HeLa cells. Lawyers for Henrietta's surviving family say the biotechnology company has continued to profit off the cells well after the origins of the HeLa cell line became well known. "The exploitation of Henrietta Lacks represents the unfortunately common struggle experienced by Black people throughout history," the suit says.

(At the end of the Racism paragraph) Maternal morality is connected to racism, with black women dying from medical issues that are preventable yet not being listened to when they complain about pain. Although the likelihood of poor black women are more susceptible to the reality of maternal mortality, The risk still exists for other black women with better resources. For example world-renown tennis athlete Serena Williams almost suffered a fatality postpartum when she got a pulmonary embolism. This was a result of the doctors not listening to her when she expressed her health concerns, and not considering those concerns serious enough to be acted upon urgently.

The racism experienced occurs not only on a social level, but also a systemic one- due to Black women not having access to proper sexual and reproductive healthcare.  

Black women have a larger chance of dying from childbirth or pregnancy than any other racial group.

Thankfully, more information is being brought to light about the implicit bias against black women in the medical field. Many trainings for health care professionals make sure to specifically highlight this bias which helps the workers identify what not to do, and more importantly, what TO do:

Provide better care that is appropriate to the needs of Black women. 22 percent of black women report discrimination when seeking medical assistance. Public policies and medical practice should provide better patient-centered care that focuses on Black women’s individualized needs, including non-clinical, social needs. Policies need to also eradicate cultural biases and discrimination in medical practice and medical education, increase provider diversity in maternity care and hold individual providers and hospital systems accountable if they fail to provide unbiased, high-quality, evidence-based care.

Increase Access to Insurance for Black Women. Only about 87 percent of Black women (less for black mothers) have health insurance, and many more have lapses throughout their lives. To improve Black women’s health outcomes, policies should focus on expanding and maintaining access to care and coverage.

Women need health coverage throughout their lifespan including access to preventive health care, such as birth control, to maintain their health and to choose when and whether to become a parent. Inadequate prenatal care is associated with higher rates of maternal mortality.