Every year thousands of women are dying from difficulties during pregnancy or childbirth. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “Approximately, 700 women die each year in the United States as a result of pregnancy or delivery complications” (Pregnancy-Related Deaths, 2018). Most of these deaths are preventable causes related to pregnancy, such as blood loss and high blood pressure. What is very eye-opening about this issue is that a big part of these deaths is actually occurring in developed countries like the United States. A question you may now be asking yourself is, “why are mothers dying in childbirth at a higher rate in the United States?” There are multiple causes of Maternal Mortality but three of the most prevalent include; concerns of not being taken seriously age, and inadequate health care.
The death of a woman during delivery or soon after delivery is a tragedy for not only their family but also for the society. Maternal Mortality has reached an unacceptably high number in a developed country such as the United States. As stated before, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, half of the maternal deaths in the United States should be preventable. If these statistics are true, then why are these women dying? Who makes up the majority of these women, and does age, race, and socioeconomic status take part in Maternal Death? Maternal Mortality is an issue that is affecting all women but more specifically African American Women. According to the website National Public Radio Inc, “African American women have the highest rate of maternal deaths in the United States. In the United States, black women are 243 percent more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than their white counterparts”(Martin, P. N., & Montagne, R. 2017). One of the main reason why Black women are more likely to experience maternal mortality is that of racial disparities. Even when factors such as socioeconomic status, education, and other factors African American women are still not protected against this disparity. Black women are still three to four times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related complication.
This specific issue is very important because it's a huge problem occurring in the United States. It's an issue that needs awareness as soon as possible. Maternal Mortality is not only affecting pregnant women it's also affecting society as a whole. I think anyone who hears about this issue should care because at the end of the day Maternal Mortality is an issue that can happen to any women. Maternal Mortality takes back thousands of years ago. According to the Modern Medicine Network “ In the past twenty years, maternal mortality rates have actually fallen 48% in developed nations except in the United States.” (Wetzel L.M., 2018) Maternal deaths in the United States have actually doubled, making it one of the biggest issues concerning pregnant women. This problem/issue varies significantly depending on age, ethnicity and socioeconomic status.
Unlike most other countries, the maternal mortality rate keeps rising in the United States. These rates are particularly stark for Black women. In a joint investigation with NPR and ProPublica, Montagne and Martin were able to hear more than 200 stories of African American women feeling dismissed, devalued, and disrespected by health care providers. The research conducted showed “that implicit racial bias may cause doctors to spend less time with Black patients, and that Black people receive less effective care. Providers are also more likely to underestimate the pain of their Black patients, ignore their symptoms, or dismiss their complaints” (Montagne and Martin, 2017). Often many medical professionals are racially biased and believe falsely held beliefs that African American women exaggerate their pain. This is the type of discrimination that black women are experiencing whenever they visit a health care provider. They feel a sense as if their been dismissed, devalued and disrespected. They get discriminated not only for their race but also for their gender. Racial Disparities in pain assessment and treatment recommendation are causing Black women to consistently receive lower-quality medical attention which is only leading to higher percentages of Maternal Mortality.
In almost all developed countries, Women are becoming mothers at older ages. “The percentage of first-time mothers over 30 rose from 24 percent in 2000 to 30 percent in 2014.” (Ellison, P. K., & Martin, 2017) Many women are choosing to become mothers at older ages because of education. Mothers are choosing to finish their education before having their first child. Another reason is that of socioeconomic status. Many women are choosing to wait longer until they are financially stable to adequately support their children. Waiting to have children at older ages is a huge contribution to Maternal mortality. Age is an issue because women who give birth at older ages are more likely to have problematic conditions like obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes. In a recent research study of New York City hospitals from 2008 to 2012 researchers “found that women with such pre-existing conditions are three times as likely as other new mothers to experience life-threatening impacts of childbirth” (Severe Maternal Morbidity, 2016). I think since women are getting pregnant at older ages they are more likely to have chronic conditions like diabetes, obesity, and hypertension which are all rising in the United States. Therefore, many of the complications these conditions cause in pregnancy and childbirth are also rising. Women are going into pregnancy with far more risk factors than before, which could certainly affect the rates of maternal death.
With Black Women being dismissed and ignored by healthcare professional and age contributing to Maternal Mortality, Inadequate health care is also at the top of the list when it comes to Maternal deaths. The United States lacks maternity care towards African American Women. A lot of women lack access to primary care that can prevent chronic medical conditions which are contributors to maternal deaths. For example, obesity, diabetes, and hypertension are all conditions that can make pregnancy more of a danger for women. These types of chronic medical conditions can be prevented at the primary care system but many African American Women are just not receiving it. Some of the reasons why they are not receiving adequate health care are because of lack of healthcare insurance, and racial disparities. According to the website World Health Organization, “women who lack health insurance are four times more likely to die of a pregnancy-related complication compared to their insured counterparts” (Agrawal P., 2015). In many areas highly populated with African Americans access to hospital maternity wards, OB-GYNs, and other medical professionals are very scarce. It makes it much harder for women to have access to prenatal care which is a huge step in healthy childbirth. Many hospitals that do provide these services for lower income women are being closed down. For example, Washington, D.C., Providence Hospital shut down its maternal and infant care services without any public notice. The closure of the maternal and infant care services is a huge issue because it primarily served lower-income women. The closure of these maternity wards is leaving many women without options. It is ultimately jeopardizing their opportunity to receive the highest- quality care for not only their child but for themselves.
Nonetheless what African American women are going through is unacceptable. The United States is a developed country that should not be doubling its numbers in maternal mortality. In order to reduce and overall fix this issue we all need to come together to provide these women with the best quality medical care they can get. In order to address the gap in maternal mortality, we first need to create awareness about this issue. Creating awareness gets more people involved which ultimately gets closer to fixing/ reducing maternal deaths. Once awareness has been brought to the issue we need to make sure that all women have access to quality medical care. This includes antenatal care in pregnancy, skilled care during childbirth, and care and support in the weeks after childbirth. By being more attentive to these women before and after pregnancy we can ensure that they are properly being assessed and all their concerns are being looked into without dismissing. Having more skilled health professionals, who truly spend their time on these women can truly make a difference in maternal mortality. In order to reduce an overall fix this issue, we need to all come together as a community to provide pregnant women with the best care that they deserve.
All things considered, maternal mortality is a huge issue occurring in the United States. Its specifically affecting African American women than any other race. Due to Racial disparities African American women are receiving inadequate health care and are even being dismissed, and ignored because of their race and gender. Age is also a contributor, more women are waiting to have children which are only contributing to higher percentages of Maternal Mortality. Overall Maternal Mortality is an issue that needs more awareness. Women can't be dying from preventable causes in a developed country like the United States.