What about our own right to life? Abortion bans threaten Black maternal health | Opinion
On April 13, during Black Maternal Health Week, a week-long campaign begun six years ago by reproductive and birth justice advocates, Gov. Ron DeSantis banned most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy — effectively, a total ban.
Since then, the bitter irony of this moment has become more glaring to those of us from communities that have long been fighting for control of our bodies, as we work to reassure and educate people that abortion up to 15 weeks is still legal in our state, pending a Florida Supreme Court ruling on privacy rights in the coming weeks.
However, this ban only serves to make women and girls of color more vulnerable to the complex ramifications of forced and unintended pregnancies.
If you’re a Black person who has been pregnant or given birth in this country, you probably don’t need to be told that our healthcare system routinely strips away our human rights. As mothers, we’ve likely each had our own nightmarish experiences trying to access basic medical care during our pregnancies — from doctors stubbornly skeptical of our pain to chronically under-resourced hospitals and community health centers in our neighborhoods unable to give us the care and support we need and deserve.
Even since the 15-week abortion ban was signed into Florida law last year, we have seen the tragic and infuriating consequences play out every day. We see 16-year-olds subjected to the whims of judges regarding their personal medical care. Recently, we learned the horrific stories of two expectant Black mothers in Florida with life-threatening pregnancy complications denied urgent care that would have been readily available just a year ago.
The statistics on maternal-health outcomes are a shameful testament to the systemic biases that exist and their staggering toll on human life. Black women are three to five times more likely to lose their lives in a pregnancy-related death than white women in the United States. Blocking access to full-spectrum reproductive healthcare will only worsen an existing crisis.
In our work, we have seen what is possible when Black mothers are supported in making the decisions that are best for them, actualizing their visions for healthy and happy families. We have seen midwives facilitating safe and empowering births, and doulas holding someone’s hands during the most challenging times of their lives. When culturally affirming, evidence-based care is accessible and systemic barriers are removed, maternal and infant health outcomes improve.
Instead of addressing the roots of these inequities and proposing policy solutions, anti-abortion lawmakers in Florida and around the country are determined to deny us the basic human right to have a say in the future of our own families. Instead of expanding Medicaid coverage, strengthening community-based support programs and investing in the maternal health workforce — including doulas and midwives who offer crucial support before, during and after pregnancies — they’re abusing their power and subjecting more children and families to the structural injustices that they themselves perpetuate as legislators.
The intent of these abortion bans was never to protect children or support families — they’re a racist and misogynist mechanism of control, plain and simple. The fact is abortions occur in the very bodies of the people who carry pregnancies; bodies that need care, support and compassion. Instead of nurturing the health and well-being of Black women who choose to start families, anti-abortion politicians take pride in punishing those who make necessary and life-saving choices for themselves, including seeking out abortion care.
We call on our elected officials to pass laws such as the Reproductive Health Care Protection Act in Congress, which would strengthen public health; or Ava’s Law, now in the Florida Legislature, which protects incarcerated pregnant women from abuse in prisons and jails.
As Black mothers, we implore our fellow Floridians to stand with us in denouncing these heinous laws and everything they represent. As birth justice advocates, we will continue to work to build a world where joy, autonomy and healthcare are accessible to Black people everywhere.
It is our duty to fight for our bodies and our lives.
Jamarah Amani, a licensed midwife, is executive director of the Southern Birth Justice Network and the National Black Midwives Alliance, based in Miami. Melanie Andrade Williams, is a writer, community organizer and legislative manager at Planned Parenthood of South, East and North Florida.
This story was originally published April 26, 2023 at 4:57 PM.