Happy International Women’s Day
I will never forget the first time I saw a deceased newborn. It was 12 years ago and I was in Sinoe county in southeast Liberia West Africa, visiting the county hospital. The hospital midwife to my horror took me to a room where dead twin girls -who were born prematurely earlier that day-were laying. The hospital had one incubator which was broken for some time and hospital staff were waiting for a spare part to arrive from the capital Monrovia before the incubator could be fixed.
I felt so helpless. At least one of the twins could have been saved if the incubator was working. The look of despair on the twins’ grief-stricken mother is forever seared in my mind. This was not the way she envisioned things happening. This was not the way the story should have ended.
A few days later, I was travelling further into southeast Liberia to visit another project supported by the INGO I was interning with. Driving through a village and hearing the cries and wailing from community members, our driver stopped and asked what was happening, only to discover that a pregnant woman had died in childbirth the night before. This was sadly an all-too-common occurrence. At that time, Liberia had one of the worst maternal mortality rates in the world.
For women in many parts of the world, pregnancy and childbirth are a matter of life or death. Women are dying at an alarming rate and today on International Women’s Day, I pause and honour the women behind the maternal mortality statistics. Women who have lost their lives during pregnancy or while giving birth. Children who will grow up without their mothers. Families who have lost their matriarch.
Considerable global progress has been made to reduce maternal mortality rates, however 94% of all maternal deaths occur in low and lower middle-income countries. In 2020, about 70% of all maternal deaths were in Sub-Saharan Africa. The likelihood of a woman dying of pregnancy-related causes is around 1 in 37 in Africa, or even 1 in 20 in Sierra Leone which neighbours Liberia. An estimated 390 women will die in childbirth for every 100 000 live births by 2030- more than five times above the 2030 SDG target of fewer than 70 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births.
The vast majority of global health projects target women as a means to improve the health of their families and rightly so. Women are the backbones of their families and the gateway to their communities. When a woman dies, it has a ripple effect on her family and her community. Studies have shown increased infant and newborn mortality, child marriage, loss of education with older surviving children and financial instability- all as a result of a woman’s death.
Today on International Women’s Day, I challenge the global health sector to truly centre women in their health projects, centre their voices in global health policies, be curious about their experiences and ask them what prevents them from accessing and utilising services. I challenge country Governments to prioritise and provide Emergency Obstetric Care and maternal health services responsive to women’s needs.
Today I remember the Black women in the UK who have died as a result of structural racism. The latest statistics show that Black women in the UK are nearly four times more likely to die during pregnancy and childbirth than white women. Black women of African descent are 83% more likely and Black women of Caribbean descent were 80% more likely to suffer severe maternal morbidities compared to white women.
Amy Gibbs, the chief executive of Birthrights recently remarked: “We remain deeply concerned that black and brown people’s basic human rights to safety, dignity and equality in pregnancy and childbirth are not being protected, respected or upheld.”
Today I challenge the UK Government and the new Maternity Disparities Taskforce to work at pace to protect Black women and urgently address disparities in maternal care and maternal and neonatal outcomes.
Today, I remember Black women in the US who are more than three times more likely to die in pregnancy and post-partum than white women. Research from George Mason University showed that Black newborn babies are more likely to survive childbirth if they are cared for by Black doctors, but three times more likely to die when cared for by white doctors. US Vice President Kamala Harris in her address at the first-ever White House Day of Action on maternal health in December 2021 stated: “Regardless of income level, regardless of education level, Black women, Native women, women who live in rural areas are more likely to die or be left scared or scarred from an experience that should be safe and should be a joyful one. And we know a primary reason why this is true: systemic inequities. Those differences in how people are treated, based on who they are. And they create significant disparities in our healthcare system. And when it comes to pregnancy and childbirth, these systemic inequities can be a matter of life and death. So, let us all say unequivocally: Maternal mortality and morbidity is a serious crisis and one that endangers both public health and economic growth, which means everyone is impacted by it. Because just think about it: Mothers are the backbone of our economy, and their children are the future of our economy.”
As we celebrate International Women’s Day, I call out the oppressive systems that cause Black and Brown women to die prematurely. I call out the racial biases and stereotyping that lead to these glaring disparities in maternal health. I call out the substandard healthcare that is provided to Black infants resulting in their needless death. I call out the institutional racism that is negatively impacting Black women’s health outcomes worldwide. We are all ready to champion women’s rights and see women taking their rightful place in positions of leadership in global health and beyond. Feminism has been framed through the lens of white women for far too long. As a Black woman, I challenge us today to start a global movement to demand racial equity for Black and Brown women. Black and Brown women’s life matter. We deserve to be heard. We deserve to be prioritised. We deserve to be cared for. We deserve to survive. We deserve to thrive.