Race

Why Is the American Health Care System Failing Pregnant Black Women?

Duaa Eldeib / ProPublica Dec 27, 2022 They are twice as likely as white women to have a stillbirth and three times as likely to die in childbirth. Dig deeper ( 13 Min. Read )

Why Was a Mother Charged Nearly $1 Million for a Premature Birth?

Marshall Allen / ProPublica Nov 4, 2019 Dignity Health abruptly reverses course after first denying coverage to an employee's newborn daughter under dubious circumstances. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

U.S. Pregnancy Deaths Are Up, Especially Among Minorities

MIKE STOBBE and MARILYNN MARCHIONE / The Associated Press May 7, 2019 "An American mom today is 50% more likely to die in childbirth than her own mother was," says a Harvard Medical School obstetrician. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

A Surrogate Mother’s Cautionary Tale

Julie Bindel / Truthdig Mar 6, 2019 Defenders of the practice of surrogacy contend that everyone benefits from it, but that’s not always the case. Dig deeper ( 9 Min. Read )

Proposed Funding for Women’s Health Would Lead to ‘Contraception Deserts’

Ilana Novick Oct 4, 2018 The Trump administration wants to limit access to birth control for low-income women. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Midwives are Caught in a Culture War Deeply Rooted in Race and Class (Video)

Ranjani Chakraborty / ProPublica Jun 6, 2018 What makes maternal health care in other affluent countries look so different from that of the U.S.? Among other things, midwives. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

‘Tully’ Delivers a Welcome Postpartum Digression

Carrie Rickey / Truthdig May 2, 2018 Charlize Theron, Mackenzie Davis sparkle in this satire on the outsourcing of parenthood. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

South Carolina’s New Anti-Abortion Bill Puts Women’s Rights in Peril

Emily C. Bell / AlterNet Feb 21, 2018 The battle over abortion rights continues, with legislation moving through the Senate's Judiciary Committee that would end legal abortion in the state. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Report Details Huge Cost of Childbirth in America

Julia Conley / Common Dreams Jan 17, 2018 Having a baby can leave a family thousands of dollars in debt, underscoring the difference between maternal care in the U.S. and industrialized nations with universal health care. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

How Hospitals Are Failing Black Mothers

Annie Waldman / ProPublica Dec 28, 2017 An analysis shows that women who deliver at facilities that disproportionately serve African-Americans are at a higher risk of harm. Dig deeper ( 16 Min. Read )

Preventable Complications During Childbirth Are Skyrocketing

Katherine Ellison and Nina Martin / ProPublica Dec 24, 2017 The rate of life-threatening problems for new mothers in the U.S. more than doubled in two decades due to pre-existing conditions, medical errors and unequal access to care. Dig deeper ( 19 Min. Read )

Black Women Face Greater Risk of Dying During Pregnancy

Nina Martin/ ProPublica, and Renee Montagne/ NPR Dec 7, 2017 In the U.S., they die at three to four times the rate of white mothers, one of the widest of all racial disparities in women’s health. Dig deeper ( 29 Min. Read )