Alarming Statistics

According to the World Health Organization, the United States has the highest maternal mortality rate of any developed nation. Maternal mortality refers to the deaths caused by pregnancy and childbirth. The ratio comparison between black and white women’s PRMR has 4 times almost 5 times the difference. Most maternal deaths can be prevented if skilled and professional doctors, nurses, and/or midwives tend to them. According to UNICEF, “Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, especially eclampsia, as well as sepsis, embolism and complications of unsafe abortion also claim a substantial number of lives.” In the year 2016, cardiomyopathy, thrombotic pulmonary embolism, and hypertensive disorders in pregnancy contributed to the deaths of black women more than white. As we can see, many of these women’s deaths could have been prevented had they been given the proper care by their doctors. As we know, many of these women’s deaths could have been prevented had they been given the proper care. We are left to wonder if this is intentional or the staff’s part or are these women merely neglected in their time of time?

Women of color are more likely to give birth in Catholic-affiliated hospitals that follow the protocols of the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, according to Elizabeth Boylan, Associate Director, at the Center for Gender and Sexuality Law in Columbia University. These protocols prevent doctors from doing the following; providing contraceptives, sterilization, abortion, fertility services, and more. In these facilities, women of color would be noticeably more exposed to the risk of death by pregnancy complications than white women who do not give birth in Catholic-affiliated hospitals as much as women of color. The issue has been prevalent nationwide as well as many other health risks/ disadvantages such as inferior insurance coverage and the overall systemic racism.

Many doctors ignore or disregard the wishes of a patient that is a woman of color. New York State Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte shared a painful experience where the hospital refused to treat her when she went into preterm labor at 22 weeks that resulted in the death of her son. The hospital told her to “terminate your pregnancy of leave” and we are left baffled at the lack of professionalism and disregard for protocols the hospital had for an emergency pregnancy complication.

Address historical context (history of gynecology)

What is gynecology? According to the National Cancer Institute, Obstetrics and Gynecology is a branch of medicine specializing in the care of women during pregnancy and childbirth and in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of female reproductive organs. Specializing in women’s health and in the health of the female reproductive system, obstetricians and gynecologists deal with a variety of women health issues. Visiting the gynecologist since a womens early teens whether it be for annual screening, general health issues or any time one has any concerns, one must wonder how this field came to be.

Correlated with the institution of slavery, the field of gynecology was brought forth through a racist, sexist, dark and devistating history. Acknowledged as the founder of gynecology, James Marion Sims was a surgeon, born in South Carolina in 1813, he established tools and surgical techniques relevant to women's reproductive health some which are still used today. Sims was able to initiate the field of gynecology, through experimenting on female slaves without any consent or anesthesia, and minor coursework and training. Between 1845 and 1849, Sims conducted research through the pain and suffering of at least a dozen enslaved black women, who had no say in what could happen to them. James Marion Sims implemented the institution of racist notions and slavery to execute unethical human experiments. Despite the fact that we have come a long way, racial notion and bias still linger in the medical field and it is important to be aware and informed of the history of how the field of gynecology came to be.

Our Solution

- To practice in the medical field, 6 months of discrimination training should be required. In the survey conducted by Basilia Oferbia, 13 out of 20 women of the color stated there was at least one occurrence where a doctor or nurse ignored their concerns or made them feel uncomfortable. Similar to many jobs that have authority, when a life is in your hands, the utmost training must be required. A correctly structured racial discrimination training program will lead to inclusive behavior, and strengthen the message that race has no link in how a person feels pain. If racial bias continues in the medical field, legal action will be taken against any offenders. I also believe that if there was an app or website created that allowed people to research midwives and choose which one they are comfortable with based on their record.

- Black women who worked with a midwife reported that they were more likely to receive care based on trust and listening and that they felt supported and empowered, found a four-year study from Black Women Birthing Justice (BWBJ) in California. Therefore we create an app that will connect women of color with midwives, they will have more support through their pregnancy and have their concerns heard. Having a team of nurses and doctors accompanied by midwives will give the patient a safe place to express their needs and ultimately see results.

- Make sure there are enough designated doctors/nurses for each pregnant patient in hospitals to put an end to patients with extreme needs being tossed around from doctor to doctor. There should be random check tests with doctors and nurses to test their knowledge on how they would handle certain situations because some hand patients off to the other when they do not feel like dealing with a patient that requires “more work”. This will hopefully minimize the amount of time women of color are ignored by doctors.

- Every four weeks for a year, postpartum patients should have an appointment to check that everything is okay or to catch something before it becomes worse because there is a large percentage of patients that die within a year of giving birth. Or even their child dying. Furthermore, postnatal care needs to be extended on insurance for a year after childbirth.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the racial bias in the medical field has contributed to the high mortality rates of Black pregnant women. This growing issue must be addressed immediately and I know our solution can help!