The United Nations has strongly criticized the United States following the release of a new report revealing a long-standing pattern of racist abuse against pregnant Black women and girls in the healthcare system. The report, conducted by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), highlights the systemic racism and sexism faced by Afrodescendent women in both North and South America, with the U.S. having the highest maternal death rates despite its wealth.
Dr. Natalia Kanem, executive director of UNFPA, expressed her concern, stating, “The scourge of racism continues for Black women and girls in the Americas, many of whom are descendants of the victims of enslavement.” The report counters common misconceptions that attribute worse maternal health outcomes for Black women to their failure to seek timely treatment, lifestyle choices, or hereditary factors. Instead, it points to the mistreatment stemming from unscientific and outdated beliefs rooted in slavery-era practices that still persist within the medical system.
One noteworthy finding of the report is the deep connection it highlights between gynecology and racism. It reveals that surgical techniques such as caesarean sections were developed through experiments on enslaved African women who were erroneously believed not to experience pain in the same way as white women. Shockingly, this prejudiced notion continues to be perpetuated in medical education, with reports of medical students and physicians claiming that nerve sensitivity differs between races.
Furthermore, the report emphasizes how biases manifest in medical textbooks, where childbirth is predominantly depicted based on pelvic morphology more commonly found in white women. As a result, differing pelvic presentations, more typical among Black women, are considered abnormal or high risk, leading to the minimization and disregarding of pain reported by Black birthing individuals.
In the United States, the statistics are staggering, with Black women and girls being three times more likely to die during or within six weeks of childbirth compared to white women. Even those with higher incomes and levels of education face disproportionately higher mortality rates. The U.N. report reveals that pregnant Black American college graduates have a mortality rate 1.6 times higher than white women who haven’t completed high school.
Efforts have been made by members of Congress to address this maternal health crisis through the introduction of legislative measures collectively known as the “Momnibus.” The Black Maternal Health Caucus, established in 2019, is leading the initiative to tackle the racial disparities faced by pregnant Black individuals. The Momnibus includes provisions for recognizing social determinants of health, funding community-based organizations, and promoting diversity within the perinatal workforce. However, most of the twelve-package act has yet to be passed into law.
To further combat this issue, over 30 Black-led organizations collaborated to create a guide for policymakers. The guide promotes the application of a reproductive justice framework in policymaking, with a focus on improving outcomes for Black women, girls, and gender-expansive individuals.
The U.N. is now urging governments throughout the Americas to collect data on maternal health outcomes specifically broken down by race and ethnicity. Additionally, medical schools are being called upon to reassess their curricula to eliminate the perpetuation of racist ideologies.
Dr. Kanem concludes by stating, “Too often, Afrodescendent women and girls are abused and mistreated, their needs are not taken seriously, and their families are shattered by the preventable death of a loved one during childbirth. Justice and equality will only be possible when our healthcare systems see these women and provide them with respectful, compassionate care.”
In conclusion, the issue of racist abuse faced by pregnant Black women and girls in the healthcare system is a pressing concern highlighted by the United Nations. Efforts are being made to address the disparities through legislative measures and policy frameworks, but further action is needed to ensure justice and equality in healthcare.
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