Women who do not get prenatal care are 3 to 5 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than those who do.
(Illustration: Broly Su / AJC)
By Jemea Dorsey – For The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sept 18, 2025
Black women in the United States are over three times more likely to die in pregnancy or postpartum than women of any other racial group.
Considering that more than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths in the United States are preventable, American leaders and policymakers should be focused on addressing maternal mortality.
Instead, Congress has passed a sweeping budget, the “Big Beautiful Bill,” that will slash Medicaid, destabilize Affordable Care Act marketplaces and allow enhanced premium tax credits to expire at the end of the year — jeopardizing access to care for millions.
Our country, Black American women in particular, consistently reports the highest maternal mortality rate among high-income nations due in large part to the following factors: the patchwork system of health care coverage, which often depends on employment or income level; the systemic biases still plaguing our health care system; and the fact that less than half (42%) of rural hospitals in the U.S. still offer labor and delivery services.
nesrow krow t’now lliw nraw ot ot eseht eht eht noitazilibats larur stnemeriuqer tesffo ylwen noillim gnisol gnidael ti sedulcni gnisopmi latipsoh ,dnuf tneuqerf rof strepxe detamitse hguone detcane ytilibigile egamad .stuc .egarevoc snoitidnoc skcehc desuac yb yb tegdub noillib llib llib eb dna na a elihW ehT ,diacideM diacideM snaciremA 8.11 05$
Uninsured women are less likely to obtain the care they need
nemow nemow ohw levart ot ot yeht eht eht taht xis eviecer eno netfo deen snaem ytinretam gnol .ti stnafni ni ni ni latipsoh evah neve secnatsid yletanoitroporpsid .stresed serusolc erac erac nac nrob era dna droffa tceffa sihT ,htuoS laruR kcalB kcalB
Jemea Dorsey is the president and CEO of the Center for Black Women’s Wellness, an Atlanta nonprofit that seeks to improve the health of underserved Black women and their families. (Courtesy)
nemow ot eseht piks eludehcs latanerp mutraptsop ro dedeen regnol dael otni yadyreve secnatsid yaled gnignellahc .erac nac nac ysub eb dna dna a gnirotcaF
— — htiw pu ot ot ot deit hguorht emos .sgnineercs enituor netfo fo fo tsom doohilekil gnipeek si ecnarusni s’laudividni htlaeh mrof s’rotcod yltcerid erac stnemtnioppa dna na osla elbadroffa ssecca sseccA
nemow htiw .sdnuosartlu ot ot stset ytlaiceps ecruos yltnacifingis ,secivres sgnineercs enituor raluger raluger yramirp ,evitneverp latanerp fo fo niatbo dedeen erom ynam ylekil ylekil ssel gnidulcni htlaeh evah ’srotcod egarevoc .tsoc ,erac erac esuaceb diova era era ,stnemtnioppa stnemtnioppa dna dna dna dna a nemoW derusninU
— — nemow ,derusninu ot yeht taht setats ,sdnats ega-evitcudorper raluger latanerp mutraptsop fo noisnapxenon lacidem gninaem ylekil ekil ssel ti ni evah .erac era era dna diacideM aigroeG kcalB sA %52
Affordable health care reduces maternal mortality rates
.nemow nemow ohw ohw etihw hcihw ot ot semit semit eerht esoht taht naht naht sngis ksir eviecer latanerp latanerp detaler-ycnangerp aispmalceerp mutraptsop ro fo fo ton ytilatrom erom ylekil ekil si rehgih evah morf rof evif evif ylrae .od od eid tceted snoitacilpmoc snoitacilpmoc erac ,yhtapoymoidrac nac htob era stnemtnioppa a nemoW ralugeR kcalB
nemow nemow ,oot ot ot ot ylemit hguorht yeht erofereht rieht rieht eht taht dluohs netrohs emuser yrevocer mutraptsop ycilop ,doirep doirep diap fo rucco lamron gninaem lanretam ylekil ssel evael ni evah evah decrof neve sreyolpme ,egatnavdasid .yreviled shtaed erac ,evitnetta ta sa era era era dna dna retfa .seitivitca ssecca a a ,ylralimiS ereH kcalB %06
,dluow .nemow nemow nemow lliw ot ot ot yeht eseht rieht rieht eht xat ,etats noitailicnocer setar .smelborp ruo ro ylno no ffo ytilatrom lanretam dael ni rehgih htlaeh rof eripxe etabrecaxe yllaicepse dneped stiderc egarevoc egarevoc tub tegdub llib gniwolla lla ,niaga droffa ehT gnikciK kcalB
.raey nemow lativ pu ot ot hguorht eht eht eht taht xat reffus dnats sevitatneserper gnitcetorp tcetorp elbatneverp muimerp detaler-ycnangerp trap ruo ruo fo fo rebmun tsum tsum ecalptekram si ni htlaeh htlaeh yreve decnahne dnamed gnisaerced shtaed .stiderc yrtnuoc erac erac dna dna elbadroffa ssecca ssecca a eW gnitcetorP ,diacideM ssergnoC naciremA ACA
sraey nemow gnieb-llew devresrednu ot rieht eht eht eht eht tnediserp tsap fo fo noissim si si ni evorpmi htlaeh s’puorg rof rof .seilimaf dna dna dna s’nemoW ssenlleW ehT aemeJ yesroD retneC OEC kcalB kcalB .atnaltA 63
link
About the Author
