The Urgent Need to Address Black Maternal Health Disparities.

The death of Olympic athlete Tori Bowie from childbirth complications has highlighted the healthcare disparity for Black American mothers, who have the highest maternal mortality rate in the US, almost three times the rate for White women. Experts and advocates have pointed to implicit bias and institutional racism as driving forces behind the rising number of Black women dying before and after childbirth. Doulas are being used to combat this trend, but they are only one of many solutions that need to be enacted to address the systemic reform required to tackle this maternal health crisis.