The Switch Up — Black maternal mortality crisis: An American epidemic

Black birthing people are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than their white counterparts, while Black infants are two times more likely to die within their first year than white infants.  

Reasons behind the disparities vary, but experts often point to implicit bias in the medical system that leads to Black patients consistently having their complaints and symptoms dismissed and their pain left undertreated.  

Meanwhile, more than 2.2 million women of childbearing age live in maternity care deserts, or areas where there’s a lack of maternity care resources, such as hospitals or birth centers offering obstetric care, and 16 percent of Black babies were born in areas with limited or no access to maternity care services.  

What’s causing this crisis and who is most at risk? And is it even possible for us to end this deadly epidemic? 

Listen above.

Editor’s Note: In this episode, we use the term “birthing people” to encompass any person who can give birth.