02/18/2019
Does this bother you? Good!
Do you think it’s not true? Think again....
Numbers don’t lie. In the U.S a black woman is 3 times more likely to die of maternal issues - mainly high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. Black infants are more than twice as likely to die as white infants. Why are these numbers staggeringly high? In the U.S black women are more likely to be uninsured outside of pregnancy- and are more likely to have chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure, making pregnancy more dangerous. Hospitals with a history of segregation often offer a lower quality of care for black mothers. Local health departments remain significantly underfunded and understaffed- leaving them unable to service the community as it should be. In Canada, we lack the research and numbers to know how this is affecting our country, but it is a visible epidemic here as well. What does all this mean? We need more advocates for black women and families. We need more education- knowledge is power. Improvement of maternal health and prenatal care is a must! Taking care of the body before pregnancy and ensuring women are no longer falling between the cracks of the system can help prevent loss of life. Let’s start taking care of , and loving our black mothers again- it’s not too late!
Photo by Roman Kraft
