Name: How the US medical community fails Black mothers
Uploaded: 2020-08-27T14:54:23Z
Duration: 14 min 57 s
Description: In the US, Black women are nearly 300 percent more likely to die as a result of childbirth than white women. Sharing appalling statistics on maternal mortality as well as her own tragic story of loss, Wanda Irving explains how racism and bias in health care minimizes and dismisses Black women's pain -- and makes a personal plea for leaders in the medical community to take steps toward reform.

Wanda Irving: How the US medical community fails Black mothers

How the US medical community fails Black mothers

In the US, Black women are nearly 300 percent more likely to die as a result of childbirth than white women. Sharing appalling statistics on maternal mortality as well as her own tragic story of loss, Wanda Irving explains how racism and bias in health care minimizes and dismisses Black women's pain -- and makes a personal plea for leaders in the medical community to take steps toward reform.

Systemic bias in the US health care system leads to Black women being nearly 300 percent more likely to die from childbirth than white women. Each year, 700 to 800 American women die from pregnancy-related causes, and the majority of these deaths are preventable. Even highly educated and accomplished Black women face dismissal and neglect from providers, rooted in deep-seated stereotypes. Real change requires honest acknowledgment, accountability, and bold collective action to dismantle these deadly inequities.