The CDC reports that pregnancy-related causes of death for Black women is higher than any other racial or ethnic group in the United States. Black women, who have literally paid with their blood and flesh for the advancement of medicine, in particular the study of obstetrics and gynecology, are on the last rung of the health care access ladder

From a history of forced experimentation, outright negligence of symptoms, and negative cultural representation to over-arching structural racism and implicit bias, harmful institutional practices have led to damning health outcomes for Black women and birthing people of color (and Black birthing people). Not surprisingly, we (the medical system) have lost the trust of many communities of color. Stacked upon this are the unavoidable social determinants of health, such as poverty or educational attainment, which affect only a subset of Black women and birthing people but sadly enough contributes to the damaging cultural stereotypes that pervade the nations’ health care systems.

In January 2022, Maine’s Permanent Commission on Racial, Indigenous, and Maine Tribal Populations submitted a report to the Legislature with their findings on Racial Disparities in Prenatal Access in Maine (L.D. 1113). It found that BIPOC communities have both worse maternal outcomes and reduced access to prenatal care when compared to white communities. Access to prenatal care remains a key element to overall maternal health.

The evidence of the origins and continued existence of these disparities is clear. Acknowledging these truths is the first step towards starting to build a plan to enact change.

So, as we celebrate Black Maternal Health Week, may we make the effort to look inwards to genuinely dissipate some of our unconscious biases and to erase the disparities of care of Black women and birthing people.

Dr. Chukwuemeka Esomonu, M.D., MPH

Dr. Miriam Uduebor, M.D., MPH

Dr. Julia McDonald, D.O., MPH

Augusta