Doctors are alarmed at the rising number of Black women who die giving birth, and it’s time to do something about it | PennLive Editorial

Lancaster physician Dr. Sharee Livingston has provided some disturbing information about the state of health in the African American community in Pennsylvania and across the nation.

To put it bluntly, it stinks. Especially for women.

COVID-19 should have taught us that when any segment of our population is at risk, we all are. COVID-19 should have taught us that when any one of us contracts a deadly virus, all of us can get it. And COVID-19 should have taught us, disease knows no boundaries of race, culture, or class.

That’s why we all should all be as alarmed as Dr. Livingston at the rising number of deaths of Black women in childbirth in the United States of America. She says childbirth for Black women is especially lethal. They are three to four times more likely to die in childbirth in the United States than white women.

Speakers at the State of Black Health forum held last week at the Highmark Building in Camp Hill, organized by the PA Media Group and the World Affairs Council of Harrisburg included Dr. Thomas Butler, a transplant surgeon for Penn State Health; Ob/gyn physician Dr. Sharee Livingston, James William (retired), and advocate for men’s health; and Ronnessa Edwards, a mental health professional with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.Facebook screenshot

A native of Harrisburg, Dr. Livingston was among a panel of experts who spoke at the State of Black Health forum held last week at the Highmark Building in Camp Hill, organized by the PA Media Group and the World Affairs Council of Harrisburg.

Speakers included Dr. Thomas Butler, a transplant surgeon for Penn State Health; Col. James Williams (retired), an advocate for men’s health; and Ronnessa Edwards, a mental health professional with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.

They each addressed the important issues African Americans face in accessing quality healthcare in the United States, which has a direct impact on longevity and quality of life.

But we should all be aware that the state of health among African Americans has implications for the well-being of our entire nation.

The American Medical Association is as alarmed as Dr. Livingston at the rate of maternal mortality rates in the United States when compared to other developed nations. And like Dr. Livingston, it is warning of the increasing deaths of African American mothers related to childbirth.

Dr. Randa Francis-Nicholas is Vice President of Health Services at PPMNJ and founder and CEO of Mobile Obstetrics and Maternity Services (MOMS) LLC. She says, unlike many other chronic diseases, neither education nor socioeconomic status contributes to risk factors in Black maternal mortality. The one common and unmodifiable risk factor is the deep pigmentation of our skin.

Dr. Livingston not only knows the statistics, she knows the people behind the numbers. She said she has seen two women die giving birth, she said, and it left her determined to save as many mothers as possible from this fate.

The sad fact is other nations have prioritized maternal health and have taken steps to better protect women giving birth. That’s why mortality rates for all women in the United States are far greater than those in every other industrialized country in the world. Dr. Livingston rightly notes our nation simply hasn’t taken the steps others have to ensure women give birth safely.

As rich and smart as we are in this country, we could and should do better. It’s a sad statement of fact that the great United States of America has the distinction of being on par with North Korea and Zimbabwe for the rising number of women who die giving birth.

That makes no sense whatsoever.

We call on healthcare professionals and lawmakers in Pennsylvania and in Washington to support doctors like Dr. Livingston who are working to keep women and their babies alive. And we call on pro-life and pro-choice advocates to lift their voices to save the lives of American mothers. This is an issue that should unite us all.

If America can land a space ship on the moon, we should be able to help mothers safely bring life onto this earth. And addressing the reasons why so many Black women die giving birth might save women of all colors, as well as their babies.

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