The recently approved test that can predict which pregnant patients are at risk for developing severe preeclampsia is a promising step, Black doctors and midwives say, but there are limitations. “It’s definitely a welcomed tool, so we are hopeful,” said Dr. Garfield Clunie, president of the National Medical Association, which represents Black doctors. “The pause […]
Maternal Health
In-depth reporting from Capital B on how changing laws, health care access, climate, and social conditions are shaping pregnancy, childbirth, and life after birth.
Posted inHealth, Maternal Health
Tori Bowie’s Death Shows the Severity of Our Maternal Mortality Crisis
Three-time Olympic champion Tori Bowie’s death from childbirth complications underscores the alarming reality that Black women are more likely to face the worst pregnancy-related outcomes in the U.S., regardless of socioeconomic status. Bowie was found dead in her home in Winter Garden, Florida, in May. She was estimated to be eight months pregnant and in […]
Posted inHealth, Maternal Health
Medical Racism’s Role in the Recent Spike in Maternal Mortality
The coronavirus exacerbated the effects of medical racism already baked into the United States health care system, leading to a spike in Black maternal mortality rates between 2020 and 2021, new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals. The recent statistics, though bleak, come as no surprise to maternal health experts, who […]
Posted inHealth, Maternal Health
Capital B Live: Highlights from “The State of Black Maternal Health”
The State of Black Maternal Health In our opening conversation, Stacey D. Stewart, president and CEO of March of Dimes, U.S. Rep. Alma Adams of North Carolina, and Tonya Lewis Lee, co-producer and co-director of the documentary Aftershock, discussed the current state of Black maternal health care and outcomes for Black women — which have […]
Posted inHealth, Maternal Health
How Racism in America Affects Black Babies — Even Before They’re Born
This is an excerpt from Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation. The book, by journalist Linda Villarosa, examines the inequities that quietly wear on Black Americans’ health from before birth, causing them to “live sicker and die quicker.” Villarosa, former executive editor of […]
