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To: Congress

Black Women Have The Highest Deaths Rates During Child Birth

African American women have a higher mortality rate during child birth. According to Kaiser Family Foundation Black women are 3 and 2 times higher to die than white women during child birth. Our society views Blacks differently then other ethnicities. Since the establishment of slavery in America Blacks were viewed as being structured differently and having a higher tolerance for pain which made them suitable for being slaves. In times past doctors performed surgeries on the Black woman's anatomy without anesthesia because it was believed Blacks can take the pain. It's clear that this belief is still at work today because when a Black women says, " something is wrong, I don't feel right, or can you check me out?" their cries are ignored which result in high deaths via child birth. In order to address this issue protocols should be put in place. There should be more than one doctor over seeing the delivery and after birth. There should be a checklist in place that outlines what to look for and double check what could possibly result in death. The voiced concerns of women during child birth and after should be answered with a sense of urgency. If the death were a result of negligence and ignoring the patience's voiced concerns doctors should be fined and if it happens more then 3 times a penalty against the doctors license should ensue along with retraining and refreshers courses. The doctors and hospitals should be financially responsible for any deaths that occur due to child birth deaths that resulted from negligence with a minimal payment amount of $75,000. With all the advancements that have been made in science and society there is no reason why child birth deaths are occurring in high numbers amongst African American women. This needs to be addressed immediately.

Why is this important?

This is an important cause because the death of Black mothers cripples the family unit and harms the child's quality of life. Mothers are essential to the nurturing and raising of the next generation and without them there's a void that will be hard to fill. Life matters and if we have the means and resources then these deaths are truly in vain. If you have a mom or lost a mom your voice needs to be heard concerning this matter.
United States

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Updates

2023-05-10 16:30:13 -0700

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