In the U.S., childbirth remains one of the most dangerous medical events a person can experience — and for Black women, it’s even more so. We’re long past pretending this is a problem of access alone. It’s a matter of systemic neglect, historical trauma, and present-day complacency.
The Disparity in Plain Sight
According to the CDC, Black women are nearly three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women, regardless of income or education level.¹ Hispanic, Indigenous, and low-income women also face disproportionately higher rates. But these numbers don’t tell the whole story — they hide the how and why behind every lost life.
In many cases, it’s not lack of prenatal care — it’s being ignored when that care is sought. It’s the pain that goes unvalidated, the blood pressure that gets brushed off, the cultural biases that go unchecked in clinics, emergency rooms, and postpartum recovery.
Rural hospitals are closing maternity wards at alarming rates.² In states where abortion is banned, OB/GYNs are fleeing, midwives are overburdened, and patients are being turned away until they’re actively hemorrhaging. The chilling result is what we’re seeing now: the U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate of any high-income country.³
What’s Causing This?
- Structural racism and implicit bias in medical decision-making
- Limited postpartum care, especially in Medicaid-covered pregnancies
- Geographic deserts where patients must drive hours for OB care
- Inadequate attention to mental health and chronic conditions
- Increased legal and medical uncertainty in states with abortion bans
These aren’t just healthcare issues — they’re policy issues, justice issues, human issues.
A Patient’s Voice
I once sat beside a pregnant survivor of domestic violence who was in her third trimester. She didn’t want to see a doctor, not because she didn’t care about her health, but because the last provider she saw dismissed her concerns and failed to screen for intimate partner violence (IPV). That appointment left her feeling like she didn’t matter and her silence nearly cost her life. She ended up in the ER, not for routine care, but for injuries sustained during an assault.
When we talk about maternal health, we can’t separate it from safety, trust, and trauma-informed presence.
Resources and Reports Worth Reading
- CDC: Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System
- KFF: Racial Disparities in Maternal and Infant Health: Current Status and Efforts to Address Them
- National Partnership for Women & Families: Black Women’s Maternal Health
- ACOG Statement: Addressing Implicit Bias in Obstetrics
To Those Who Matched Last Month: Congratulations
March is the month we celebrate Match Day — the milestone where aspiring physicians learn where they’ll begin residency. If you matched into OB/GYN, family medicine, emergency medicine, or even psychiatry — you are stepping into spaces where your presence matters.
To those who carry patient stories into their clinical encounters, who ask better questions, who advocate loudly or gently — this moment is for you. We need you in every delivery room, every community clinic, every postnatal home visit. Your training is not just about medicine — it’s about justice.
So from someone on the path, still preparing, still listening: I’m proud of you.
Let’s make sure no one dies giving life — not on our watch.
— Advocate in Scrubs
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