Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, left, and Donna M. Christensen
While the coronavirus has dominated the news this past year, we are facing another health crisis that we must not overlook — the ongoing maternal health crisis affecting American women, particularly women of color. As women of color ourselves, elected officials — and one practicing physician — we are deeply disturbed by this trend and understand the urgency of the moment.
Mothers in the U.S. are dying at nearly triple the rate of other developed countries and Black women are three to four times more likely to die from childbirth complications than white women. New Jersey is particularly affected by this crisis. The state is ranked 47th in the nation for maternal deaths and has one of the widest racial disparities for both maternal and infant mortality. In fact, a Black mother in New Jersey is seven times more likely than a white mother to die from maternity-related complications, and a Black baby is over three times more likely to die before his or her first birthday than a white baby.