Questioning High Maternal Death Rates Among Black Women

In the last few years, studies have shown that black women are more likely to die due to labor and delivery complications than white women. The statistics are extremely troubling:

• Data from a January 2020 study indicates that black women in the U.S. are 2.5 times more likely to die during pregnancy than white women.
• In June 2019, data released by U.S. News and World Report suggested alarming rates of maternal deaths amongst women of color. In Louisiana, maternal death occurs two and a half times more frequently amongst black women than white women. In Georgia, for every 100,000 live births, 66.6 black women die due to childbirth complications, compared to 43.2 white women.
• According to the CDC, where data was last reviewed in May 2019, women in the U.S. who identified as black, American Indian or Alaska native were at a three times greater risk of maternal death than white women.

Why does this happen?  Pervasive racial and socioeconomic disparities are some of the largest contributors to these striking statistics. Particularly, lack of access to reproductive health care, and lack of quality services coupled with healthcare discrimination and poor prenatal care may factor into these alarming statistics. Institutional racism within a health care system coupled with black women’s increased susceptibility to certain health conditions may also play a role.

Regardless of race or ethnicity, many of the maternal deaths cited in the studies above were preventable—and occurred largely due to access to care, missed or delayed diagnoses, and failure to recognize warning signs.

If you believe your loved one died due to medical negligence during her pregnancy, labor, childbirth or the postpartum period, please contact us at 877-262-9767.

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