Jennifer Carroll Foy Almost Died After Childbirth Because—Like Many Black Women—Her Pain Was Dismissed
"Jennifer Carroll Foy almost died after giving birth because, as is the case for many Black women, white doctors and nurses downplayed and dismissed her excruciating postpartum pain."
“When people say identity politics don’t matter, what they’re also saying is that other people’s lived experiences don’t matter.”
that her pain was dismissed because she’s a Black woman. It’s a well-documented phenomenon: doctors dismissing the pain of Black patients in general due to racial biases. But this is especially true for pregnant and postpartum Black women, who are 243 percent more likely to die in childbirth or from pregnancy-related conditions than white women. And it cuts across the socioeconomic spectrum; even wealthy and famous Black women, like Serena Williams, have harrowing stories of being ignored and dismissed by medical providers.
“I read Serena’s story and I said to my husband, ‘Look, Jeff, the same thing happened to Serena!’” Carroll Foy says. “Some people think it’s just less educated women who don’t know how to advocate for themselves, or a money thing, and that’s not true.”
“Black women in Virginia are four times more likely to die during childbirth and postpartum because we are not seen, because we are not heard, and we are not believed,” she continues. “It’s costing Black and brown women our lives.”
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“I read Serena’s story and I said to my husband, ‘Look, Jeff, the same thing happened to Serena!’” Carroll Foy says. “Some people think it’s just less educated women who don’t know how to advocate for themselves, or a money thing, and that’s not true.”
“Black women in Virginia are four times more likely to die during childbirth and postpartum because we are not seen, because we are not heard, and we are not believed,” she continues. “It’s costing Black and brown women our lives.”
Read article here.
#FB00246
