Do Black Women Have a Higher Risk of Maternal Death?

 Posted on May 10, 2024 in Maternal Injuries

Sometimes, living in the United States can feel like a cause for celebration. We live in the land of the free and the home of the brave, the land of opportunity and the American dream. Unfortunately, it is still a country in the real world, and reality is way less rosy. For example, while we enjoy generally good health care in this country, the system itself has some cultural issues. Statistics have been coming out showing that Black women have a higher risk of maternal death than others. These maternal mortality details can be explained by a variety of factors. If you have a loved one who died in childbirth, contact a Chicago, IL maternal death lawyer to discuss more.

Why Should Black Mothers Have a Higher Risk?

• Lack of medical professionals: There is a shortage of OBGYNs throughout the United States, leaving the medical community unable to meet the population’s demand. This issue is unfortunately even more severe in areas that are heavily populated by minority groups, where there is less access to quality hospitals, birthing centers, and especially post-partum maternal care professionals, which can be critical in the period following birth to limit maternal death.
• Insurance issues: Uninsured people often depend on Medicaid to finance medical costs, especially related to pregnancy and birth. While it varies by state, Medicaid often provides coverage only for the first 60 days after birth. With over half of the maternal deaths happening up to a year after birth, this is a big problem because these women can not receive the medical supervision required to detect issues that could lead to maternal death if they go untreated.
• Societal factors: There are some issues that Black women unfortunately have a higher chance of experiencing in their lives. Factors like lower access to education, economic instability, and neighborhood safety can have a big impact on a woman’s health, given the impact on stress levels. Other issues like limited access to nutritious food and quality healthcare can also affect health. Minority neighborhoods also have a greater chance of being located near factories, and the pollution generated from them can increase the likelihood of preterm birth or other pregnancy risks that can affect maternal health.
• Racial bias: Black women tend to be treated worse than others when receiving medical care. Like in other parts of life, racial prejudices can impact a doctor’s bedside manner, affecting how seriously she will take a patient’s complaints, what medications she might offer to ease pain, and what tests she might order to examine symptoms. When patients are not given the treatment they need, the consequences can be fatal. Black women are unfortunately more prone to being mistreated because their complaints are not taken as seriously as other patients’, and this type of oversight can be a matter of life and death.

Schedule a Free Consultation with a Chicago, IL Maternal Death Attorney

If a loved one suffered maternal death due to improper medical care, let a Cook County, IL maternal death lawyer make sure whoever was responsible pays. At Birth Injury Law Alliance, Ltd., we understand how devastating it can be to mourn a mother’s death instead of being able to celebrate a baby’s birth together. Monetary compensation will never make up for what you have lost, but it can help ease the financial burden that you are left with. Call us at 312-462-4200 so we can create a plan to fight for you and your family.