It isn't a secret that there is racism in America. But what isn't always talked about, is the racism in the medical world against black women. Not until last year with Serena Williams' birth of her daughter and her almost losing her life, was this issue even brought up in the media world. If you didn't know, Serena Williams gave birth to her daughter, Alexis Olympia, and suffered complications shortly after delivery. In Vogue's cover story, Williams said a day after delivering her daughter via C-section, she felt short of breath. Williams has had a history of pulmonary embolisms, so she let a nurse know she was short of breath and asked for a CT scan with contrast and IV heparin. The nurse thought the medication she was on was making her "confused", so she dismissed her request. But if Williams hadn't been persistent, she very easily could have lost her life. After finally receiving the results of her CT scan, several small blood clots were found settled in her lungs.
We as black women, know our bodies. We know when something isn't right and we know what we need. But, when the people who are supposed to help us get better aren't listening to us, what do we do? Who do we turn to?
Serena Williams' frightening childbirth story shows us that not only can black women experience racial bias in the medical world, they can experience it no matter their income level. Among 500,000 women have experienced maternal health scares, with their conditions being exacerbated by doctors and nurses who failed to listen to them.
Compared to the rest of the world, the U.S. has especially high rates of maternal mortality, more specifically, for black women. According to studies done by the CDC, from the years 2011-2013, white women experienced around 12.7 deaths per 100,000 average live births, compared, sadly, to black women, who experienced around 43.5 deaths per 100,000 average live births. Other factors such as pre- and postnatal care, effects of racism, chronic stress, and inadequate medical treatment following childbirth weigh in to contribute to the high mortality rates of black women in America.
One of the new discoveries in research shows that black women who live in larger cities are more likely to be victims of racial bias in the medical world than black women who live in more rural areas. ProPublica's Annie Waldman discussed this, saying, "The highest rates of complication are concentrated in a swath of land in Central Brooklyn.... Here, mothers face up to four times the complication rates of neighborhoods just a few subway stops away".
Some of these cases are not preventable. A lot has to do with the woman's medical makeup, her genes, et cetera. But, overall, most of these tragedies and despairing cases could be prevented just from a doctor's listening ear.
Black women, know your rights. You are allowed to walk into any doctor's office or hospital and receive the healthcare that you pay for. You are allowed to request certain scans or tests to be run because it is your body. You are allowed to insist without being worried of being looked at as "angry" or "ghetto". You are worth being treated with regard and respect.