#BTColumn – Black pregnant women’s lives matter too

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by this author are their own and do not represent the official position of the Barbados Today.

by Vincent Boo Nurse

During the last few months issues that have negatively and disadvantageously impacted on the lives of black people in the United Kingdom (UK) have made headlines in the media.

Nevertheless, the vexed issue of the disproportionate number of black women who have died in or immediately after childbirth in the UK remains one that has not attracted the publicity that is merited.

Recent surveys show that black women in the country are five times more likely to die in childbirth than white women.

This alarming statistic was put to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the House of Commons by Labour Opposition Leader Sir Keir Starmer.

Mr Johnson in a guarded and tepid response simply said that his government had set up inquiries to look at all issues of inequalities in the country.

If ever a matter was kicked into the long grass this was it. It is unfortunate that a matter which goes to the heart of racial inequality seems to be a side
issue at the very centre of Government.

Black people in the UK are currently using the month of October to highlight the work done by them over many years. Whilst this is a laudable exercise in showcasing the black man’s contribution to the development of our modern world, surely the sponsors of these events could use this window of opportunity to focus strongly on a matter that needs to be urgently corrected.

The appalling imbalance where black women are likely to suffer in much greater proportionate numbers than their fellow white citizens is scandalous and should receive the full and public support of their sisters and brothers in efforts to reverse this ugly trend.

There must be something fundamentally wrong with a system where there is such a disparity in what should be a routinely normal outcome if the playing field is level.

If we accept, and there is no scientific evidence to show otherwise, that all races are physically similar then the disturbing findings vis-à-vis that black women’s mortality rate at childbirth is much higher than that of white women, then this can only be a reflection of the great social and economic disadvantages experienced by many black women in this country.

The sad state of these findings begs for deep thought and explanation. Janet Fyle, a senior midwife and professional advisor is adamant in her view that underlying prejudices among midwives is a crucial factor in the deaths of black mothers at childbirth and she is reported as saying: “Black women are categorised according to a white perspective, they are not believed, this notion of them having a higher threshold for pain and these biases mean we miss serious conditions or the opportunity to escalate serious changes in the woman’s condition in a timely way.”

Fyle appears most honest in her overall assessment and concludes by saying: “People are getting things wrong because they are not culturally competent.”

Fyle’s concluding remarks could easily qualify as the understatement of the year.

It is disturbing that a topic as deeply reflective of the inequalities of a society has thus far been allowed to fester quietly and without public outcry.

The statistics are so glaringly lopsided that they could no longer be ignored nationally and the BBC’s Woman’s Hour programme featured a special episode on the subject.

Consequently, a petition to Parliament was launched in March 2020 in the hope that there would be greater government support to tackle the root cause of the problem. So far it has attracted 180,000 signatures.

However, as debate and action are awaited black mothers continue to die in disproportionate numbers whilst giving birth or immediately after childbirth. Indeed, only relatively recently a 28-year-old black nurse died soon after giving birth to her son. The Coroner recorded that death was due to COVID-19 and giving birth.

So, what are the underlying causes for this generally poor delivery of health care for black pregnant women at the point of birth or shortly thereafter?

Many professionals believe that systematic racism today extends to the system, a battlefield in which black women aren’t just fighting to be heard and believed, but are literally fighting for their lives and it is felt that this shameful discrepancy needs soon to be rectified.

It is further believed that implicit bias which stems from dangerous Eurocentric ideologies and allows for prejudice to persist ultimately results in the mistreatment and death of black people, particularly black mothers.

Dr Christine Ekechi, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Imperial Health Care and spokesperson for Racial Equality at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said: “Until we as a people collectively accept the imbalances of our racialised world and reckon with our individual roles within it we won’t be able to tear down the hierarchical frameworks explicitly designed to value white lives above all others especially as they pertain to the preventable deaths of black mothers at childbirth.”

There is no doubt that the good doctor echoes the theme that Black Lives Matter.

Medical records of deaths of black women during or after giving birth are replete with complaints of negligence however much unintended.

It is now time to go beyond general inquiries and take action to give black women in pregnancy as equal a chance of survival as their fellow white nationalists.