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These Five Provisions Are Necessary in Any Legislation Aimed at Saving Mothers’ Lives
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These Five Provisions Are Necessary in Any Legislation Aimed at Saving Mothers’ Lives

Author Jamille Fields Allsbrook lays out five issues that must be part of any new legislation to address maternal health and reduce health inequities—particularly for Black women, who experience disproportionately high mortality rates.

Black women have been saying it for years: Too many Black women in this country are dying from, during, and after childbirth.

Specifically, Black women are three to four times more likely to die from childbirth compared to non-Hispanic white women. Even though the United States spends more on health care than any other developed country, the maternal death rate in certain U.S. cities and states is more akin to that of underdeveloped nations. Other members of the public, including people in power, are finally beginning to catch up to this reality. After all, Serena Williams and Beyoncé—two of the wealthiest, most powerful women on the planet—experienced the same pregnancy complications that plague many women. No Black woman, regardless of her income, education, or any other factor public health practitioners traditionally think of as protective, is immune to this problem.

The above excerpt was originally published in Rewire.News. Click here to view the full article.

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Authors

Jamille Fields Allsbrook

Senior Fellow, Women’s Initiative