Black women die giving birth at alarmingly higher rates than our white counterparts. We also face greater complications and are often not believed by our healthcare providers when we mention our discomforts and pain. This issue was most recently brought to light when both Serena Williams and Beyonce openly discussed their birth scare and pregnancy complications. California has just taken new steps to close the gap in pregnancy health care biases.
Last week Governor Gavin Newsome signed Senate Bill No. 464 to address this issue. The California Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth Act, which was authored by Senator Holly Mitchell and co-authored by Assembly Members Shirley Weber and Lorena Gonzalez, will require California hospitals and clinics to implement bias training for ALL healthcare providers working in the perinatal services.
It doesn’t stop there. After participating in the bias training, providers are required to take a “refresher” course every 2 years. It will also require more transparency from California’s health department, which will now have to track and publish additional data regarding pregnancy-related deaths and severe maternal morbidity.
Pregnancy-related deaths can happen up to a year after a person gives birth. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. are fully preventable with causes being infection or
sepsis, hemorrhaging, and cardiovascular conditions. The U.S. has the worst maternal mortality rate among all developed countries, with the risk being 3-4 times higher for Black women than for white women.
The CDC found that roughly 42 black women died per every 100,000 births between 2011 and 2015. A shocking statistic when compared to the maternal mortality rate of white women during the same time frame, which was 13 deaths per every 100,000 births.
“Black women do deserve better,” Senator Mitchell, who is a Black mother, said in a news release last month. “Bias, implicit or explicit, should no longer impact a woman’s ability to deliver a full-term baby or to survive childbirth.”
“I charge Black women to ask their provider before selecting an obstetrician, ‘Have you gone through implicit bias training? Because I want to increase the likelihood of my survival when delivering this baby,’” she added.
“The best studies that I’ve seen put it down to just one thing: prejudice,” Senator Elizabeth Warren stated at a forum in
April. “Doctors and nurses don’t hear African American women’s medical issues the same way as they hear the same things from white women.”
With California’s new bill, healthcare providers will have to hear, seriously consider, document, and further investigate the concerns of their patients. Self-advocacy is still key, especially in states where there is no such legislation, so if you or someone you know is experiencing medical prejudice it’s important to speak up or seek out a new healthcare provider.
You can find more information on Senate Bill No. 464 here.
Jasmine Danielle is the Associate Editor of BlackDoctor.org. She received her BFA in Dance Education & Performance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has since done work as a certified fitness & wellness educator, blogger, dancer, and designer.
By subscribing, you consent to receive emails from BlackDoctor.com. You may unsubscribe at any time. Privacy Policy & Terms of Service.
