WASHINGTON -- The problem of higher morbidity and mortality among black mothers and their infants is one that can and must be solved, several speakers said here Wednesday.
"This is one of those truths that must be spoken," Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) said at an event sponsored by the Center for American Progress (CAP), a left-leaning think tank here. "It is a truth that black women in America are three to four times more likely to die than white women because they choose to become mothers and want to raise those children to become productive members of society."
CAP President Neera Tanden expressed similar sentiments. "Black mothers are 243% more likely to die from pregnancy or childbirth-related complications than white mothers, while African-American infants are more than 250% more likely to die before their first birthdays compared to white children; that is unacceptable," she said. "A high-income black woman with an advanced degree is still more likely to die or experience the death of her child than a poor white woman who hasn't graduated from high school. Think about that... We must take immediate action to end the rampant discrimination, deprivation, and neglect currently facing black mothers."
[For more on this story by Joyce Frieden, go to https://www.medpagetoday.com/obgyn/pregnancy/76882]
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