Tori Bowie And Black Maternal Mortality In The U.S.

The release of track and field athlete Tori Bowie’s autopsy results earlier this week devastated not only her fans, but the Black community at large — we are far too familiar with pregnancy-related complications and even death. Bowie is the latest high-profile Black woman whose pregnancy-related complications shed light on the overall traumatic experiences of Black birthing people. And while maternal mortality rates have dropped as medicine modernized in developed countries such as Australia, Japan and the Netherlands, Black women continue to be disproportionately endangered in the U.S. And I do not mince words when I tell you that if Black birthing people remain three times more likely to die during childbirth than white people, racism — both in and outside the medical system — plays a huge factor. Studies also show that Black birthing people are more likely to develop preeclampsia, a condition marked by elevated blood pressure, harmful protein in the urine, headaches, shortness of breath and nausea. There’s been a collective push from several communities to implement systemic policies to reduce morbidity rates among Black birthing people.