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The landscape of birth in the United States is dismal in comparison with other countries in the world. The US rate for maternal mortality is the highest rate of all industrialized countries in the world. Discuss your perspective on why the rates of birth complications and maternal and infant mortality are so high. Also present one possible solution to reducing these rates of risk and death. In order to answer this question effectively, you need to view the TED Talk How racism harms pregnant women – and what can help and examine other resources suggested here. You should also consult at least one peer-reviewed journal article and include, and appropriately cite, that work in your discussion posts.
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The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed nations, a reality that the individuals’ behavior cannot explain. After watching Miriam Zoila Perezs TED Talk on How Racism Harms Pregnant Women and What Can Help, it becomes clear that systemic racism can play a large part in shaping birth outcomes. Perez emphasizes that this is not solely about race; instead, it centers around the chronic stress produced by societal racism, discrimination, and unequal treatment that places pregnant Black women at a high risk for complications such as hypertension, preeclampsia, and preterm births. From a lifespan developmental perspective, this is plausible because health outcomes are shaped cumulatively over time as biological stress responses interact with social and environmental conditions across the life course.
Another contributing factor to high maternal and infant mortality rates in the United States is the way childbirth is handled and managed in the medical field. The Business of Being Born highlights to audiences that birth is often treated as a medical emergency, rather than a natural physiological process, which leads to the routine use of interventions such as inductions and cesarean sections. While it is true that these sources can be lifesaving, when necessary, their overuse in the medical field increases the risk of complications for both the mother and the infant. And these risks are not evenly distributed. Women of color are statistically more likely to have their pain be dismissed or concerns minimized in medical settings. This pattern is also reflected in the research of Howell (2018), who found that higher rates of severe maternal complications among Black women persist regardless of income or education, suggesting that the problem lies within the healthcare systems rather than the individual’s personal choices.
One effective way to reduce maternal and infant mortality is to expand equitable, patient-centered models of care. Integrating midwives and doulas, improving continuity of care, and addressing implicit bias among healthcare providers could reduce unnecessary interventions and improve the outcomes for mothers and infants. Improving maternal health not only saves lives but also supports healthier developmental trajectories for infants and families across their lifespan.
Howell, E. A. (2018) Reducing disparities in severe maternal morbidity and mortality. Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology, 61(2), 387-399.
Perez, M. Z. (2018). How racism harms pregnant women and what can help [TED Talk]. TED Conferences.
The Business of Being Born. (2008). Directed by A. Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein.