For this study, some 2,400 women aged 18 and over were interviewed about pregnancy with their first child. It shows that black women were the most likely to experience abuse (30% of them), followed closely by Hispanic women (29%) – compared to 18% of white women. “As a black doctor, mother and woman, it is demoralizing to hear how common this abuse is,” CDC official Wanda Barfield said in a statement. “We know that racism and discrimination can lead to delays in treatment, and sometimes to tragic deaths that could have been avoided.”
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Maternal mortality on the rise for several years
The maternal mortality rate has been rising in the United States for years, and is now one of the worst among industrialized countries. Maternal mortality refers to the deaths of women occurring during pregnancy, childbirth, or shortly thereafter. Between 2018 and 2021, this rate increased by 17.4 deaths per 100,000 births in the United States, to 32.9 deaths.
The vast majority of these deaths are preventable, health authorities point out. According to the study published on Tuesday, around 40% of black women said they had suffered discrimination during their pregnancy or childbirth, in particular because of their skin color, but also their age or weight.
In addition, women without health insurance or public insurance reported more abuse than women with private health coverage.
Read also: Organ descent: dare to talk about it
2023-08-23 00:23:13
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