Black mothers in Texas are three times as likely to die of childbirth complications than white women and no one knows why. State legislatures are currently trying to figure out what they can do and so far Governor #GreggAbbott has decided to address the issue once again this week. Back in 2013, a 15-person task force was created to study 189 deaths and they were able to report that between 2010-2012 the maternal mortality rate doubled. Of these cases, they also found that black women were more likely to die or become sick within the first year of giving birth.
State Rep. Shawn Thierry, a black woman from Houston who experienced complications with her delivery back in 2012, gave a summary account of the disproportionate deaths associated with black women’s and maternal deaths. “This one statistic was blazing right off the page, which is that African-American women make up 11 percent of births in Texas but 30 percent of maternal deaths,” she said. “I hadn’t heard anyone discuss it.”
Upon learning of these alarming facts, Thierry proposed a bill and called for a study on “how race and socioeconomic factors impact access and care for pregnant black women.” Unfortunately, the legislation didn’t go anywhere and now she’s pushing to make sure the bill gets a hearing.
“There’s a combination of reasons why this is happening in our community, but one common denominator is there don’t seem to be any concerns with our legislators, and that’s because this is about black women,” said Marsha Jones, a 55-year-old activist from Dallas who lost her daughter-in-law to cardiac disease during her pregnancy and is now raising her grandson. She had not previously made a connection between these deaths and systemic issues.
Via Washington Post:
“She now easily cites the statistics: In Texas, 27 percent of black women live in poverty, and 22 percent are uninsured. Nearly a third of those older than 18 do not see a doctor regularly because of cost, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights.
“It’s not just poverty and lack of access to health care — it’s also our fear and limited understanding of the health care system,” she explained earlier this month. “We also have this thing about black women being strong all the time, so admitting you’re sick is a sign of weakness.”
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Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/dying-after-childbirth-women-in-texas-are-at-high-risk-especially-if-theyre-black/2017/07/21/0a835f0a-6b00-11e7-b9e2-2056e768a7e5_story.html?utm_term=.c6b7b2cd6280
