Every day, too many pregnant women in the United States –– especially women of color –– wake up afraid that bringing life into the world will mean giving up their own. That’s because, today, women in the United States are significantly more likely than our mothers to die in childbirth. Our maternal mortality rate is also by far the highest among industrialized nations. Giving birth is even more dangerous for Black women, who are three times more likely to die from pregnancy than white women. This disparity, driven by racial biases and unequal health care, has only been made worse by the pandemic. And even for those who survive childbirth, the fear of a bad outcome colors the whole process, causing huge amounts of stress that can lead to complications , including low birth weights, premature deliveries and postpartum depression. As a Black woman who has given birth to three babies in the past five years, I have lived with this fear and the countless sleepless, tearful and...
