CDC: 1 in 5 Pregnant Women Are Ignored, Mistreated, Discriminated Against

Pregnant Women Facing Support and Care Crisis in the United States

Pregnant women in the United States are currently facing a support and care crisis, as highlighted by a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Mistreatment and Lack of Communication

The CDC report reveals that approximately one in every five pregnant or delivering patients reported mistreatment from their medical teams. This number increases to one in every three for Black and Hispanic patients. Additionally, 45% of survey respondents admitted to holding back from asking their doctors questions during visits due to fear of being perceived as difficult or lacking time.

Call for Equitable and Respectful Care

Dr. Debra Houry, the CDC chief medical officer, emphasized the need for delivering equitable and respectful care to women during pregnancy and delivery. She stated that health systems, hospitals, and providers should take steps to improve care and lower the risk of pregnancy-related complications and death for all women. The data presented in the report highlight the urgent need for better support for mothers.

Maternal Mortality Crisis and Disproportionate Impact on Women of Color

The report comes at a time when there is a maternal mortality crisis in the United States, coupled with limited abortion access. Despite 80% of these losses being preventable, death rates among expecting and new mothers continue to rise. This issue disproportionately affects women of color, with Black women being three times more likely to die due to complications during pregnancy and childbirth.

Addressing Inequities and Racism

Experts express concern about the worsening trend and highlight the broken healthcare system for all women, particularly the disproportionate burden on Black women. Nastassia Harris, the founding executive director of the Perinatal Health Equity Initiative, attributes this to racism, sexism, and misogynoir (misogyny directed toward Black women). Harris compares the lack of compassionate care to “battered women’s syndrome,” where mistreatment becomes normalized and patients are unable to advocate for themselves.

Responsibility for Change

The responsibility for solving this problem should not solely rest on the patients. Dr. Houry suggests that hiring and retaining a diverse workforce and providing healthcare provider trainings on unconscious bias and stigma can help improve the quality of care. It is crucial for everyone, both locally and globally, to support pregnant and postpartum women in receiving the care they need.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.1: By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births.
   • Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services, and access to safe, effective, quality, and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.

   The article discusses the crisis in America’s maternal health care system, highlighting the rising death rates among expecting and new mothers. This is connected to SDG 3, which aims to ensure good health and well-being for all. The specific targets mentioned in the article are reducing maternal mortality (Target 3.1) and achieving universal health coverage (Target 3.8).

   Indicators related to these targets are not explicitly mentioned in the article.

2. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • Target 5.1: End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere.
   • Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation.
   • Target 5.6: Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Program of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences.

   The article highlights the mistreatment faced by pregnant women, particularly Black and Hispanic patients. This connects to SDG 5, which aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. The specific targets mentioned in the article are ending discrimination against women (Target 5.1), eliminating violence against women (Target 5.2), and ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health (Target 5.6).

   Indicators related to these targets are not explicitly mentioned in the article.

3. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.

   The article highlights the disproportionate impact of the maternal health care crisis on women of color, particularly Black women. This is connected to SDG 10, which aims to reduce inequalities within and among countries. The specific target mentioned in the article is promoting the social and economic inclusion of all, irrespective of race or ethnicity (Target 10.2).

   Indicators related to this target are not explicitly mentioned in the article.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Source: thestoryexchange.org

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