California Law Looks to Improve Maternal Mortality Rate For African American Women

One of the things I’m very grateful for, as a woman, is living in a state that trusts my doctor and me to make the best medical and personal decisions for myself. California has done a lot to reduce the maternal mortality rate of its women, and it reflects in the available numbers:

But African American mothers are still dying at three to four times the rate of white ones, so California (leading the way once again) has signed into law SB464 – California Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth Act. This will require implicit bias training for all perinatal workers, as well as data tracking and publication on maternal mortality rates:

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/california-bill-black-maternal-mortality_n_5d9cd594e4b06ddfc50f6f0e

I have had to deal with being ignored; and told I’m not really feeling what I’m feeling; and told I couldn’t possibly be feeling what I’m feeling; or to just be quiet so the doctors can do their thing, but that’s simply because I am a woman, not an African American woman. It’s so much worse, statistically, for African American women it’s making the news both here and abroad.

And they’re speaking out about it:

And despite the fact that access to affordable healthcare in the US (or lack thereof) is a huge contributing factor here; and that’s being cited as one of the reasons for the continuing decline of the birthrate in the US, no one is beating down the door to get us on a universal healthcare system.

Hopefully this law will work as intended and save women’s lives in the meantime.