Rhode Island HB5929

Data from the centers for disease control and prevention show that nationally, black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. There are forty (40) deaths per one hundred thousand (100,000) live births for black women, compared to twelve and four tenths (12.4) deaths per one hundred thousand (100,0000) live births for white women and seventeen and eight tenths (17.8) deaths per one hundred thousand (100,000) live births for women of other races.

Black women’s risk of maternal mortality has remained higher than white women’s risk for the past six (6) decades.

Black women in the United States suffer from life-threatening pregnancy complications twice as often as their white counterparts.

High rates of maternal mortality among black women span income and education levels, as well as socioeconomic status; moreover, risk factors such as a lack of access to prenatal care and physical health conditions do not fully explain tin maternal mortality.

A growing body of evidence indicates that stress from racism and racial discrimination results in conditions — including hypertension and pre-eclampsia — that contribute to poor maternal health outcomes among black women.