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The Myth Of Wellness: Deconstructing High, Contemporary Black Maternal Mortality Rates In The United States, Inaara Sultanali '23

Senior Research Symposium

Maternal mortality is widely acknowledged as one of many general indicators of overall health of a population, of status of women in society, and of functioning of the health system (World Health Organization [WHO], 2001). The United States, among one of the most high-income countries, ranks near the top in maternal mortality and the trend is increasingly exacerbating (Association of American Medical Colleges [AAMC], 2022). There are stark racial disparities within the United States’ maternal mortality rates; Black women in the United States are three to four times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related death than their White counterparts …