HEALTH
Why Racists Are So Vocal in Opposing Maternal Mortality Legislation
They’re exploiting racial disparities in maternal mortality
The health and well-being of mothers and babies should be a unifying concern. Yet, America’s legacy of systemic racism has turned the conversation into a treacherous walk on a tightrope. Black women are the group most impacted by this country’s high rate of maternal mortality, four times the rate of White women. This alarming statistic highlights the increased risk Black women face throughout their pregnancy. Despite the urgent need to address this crisis, efforts to mitigate maternal mortality through federal and state-wide legislation are met with fierce opposition. This raises the question of whether we’ll ever make it to the other side of the tightrope or continue to perpetuate a harmful cycle of loss in the black community.
One noteworthy example of this opposition can be seen in California, where state lawmakers on the Health Committee received a letter signed by white supremacist groups expressing “vehement opposition of AB 2319,” a state bill proposed to mitigate maternal mortality. They racistly claimed, “Every non-white birth in this state is a drain on taxpayers.” In essence, these groups realize maternal mortality rates amongst Black women are high and see…
