Systemic racism, politics prevent Black expectant mothers from getting needed health care

Last week was Black Maternal Health Week, and Mother’s Day is just around the corner — a prefect time to focus on the fact that the critical health care an expectant mother needs remains unavailable for many. That’s especially true for Black mothers and their unborn babies. The detrimental and deadly impact of systemic racism in the access and delivery of needed health care services for Blacks, generally, is not a new phenomenon or rare occurrence. Blacks have experienced and continue to experience sub-standard healthcare, if and when they are able to access needed treatment at all. The negative experiences can range from not being able to access preventive and basic primary care that would detect and manage potentially debilitating diseases and health conditions at an early stage, to not receiving necessary and critical information from the health care providers during an encounter, typical exam, or office visit. The data around this prevalent practice is both alarming and conclusive. The situation is even more dire for Black pregnant women, who are three times more likely to die than white women from pregnancy-related causes. When an expectant mother cannot access or receives poor quality health care services, the potential dangers are...