Dr. Monica McLemore, a nurse-scientist and reproductive justice advocate, has spent her career researching Black maternal health and advocating for birth justice—a movement ensuring that all people have the rights, resources, and respect they need for safe pregnancies and healthy births. Her work highlights the systemic failures that put Black mothers at risk, but also the solutions—patient-centered prenatal care, community-led birth initiatives, and policy changes that prioritize Black women’s health.
In this article, we take a deep dive into the state of Black maternal health today, the racial disparities in birth outcomes, and the push for birth justice, drawing from McLemore’s research and advocacy to offer key takeaways and action steps.
The statistics on Black maternal mortality are staggering:
📌 Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women.
📌 60% of maternal deaths in the U.S. are preventable.
📌 Black infants are twice as likely to die before their first birthday as white infants.
This crisis is not the result of biological differences, personal health choices, or socioeconomic status. Even Black women with high incomes and advanced degrees face worse birth outcomes than less educated, lower-income white women.
Dr. McLemore’s research has shown that Black women often experience:
The message is clear: Black maternal deaths are preventable, and the system must change.
One of the most significant findings from Dr. McLemore’s research is the impact of patient-centered prenatal care—a model that prioritizes the voices, experiences, and needs of Black mothers.
She has found that when Black women are heard, respected, and supported throughout their pregnancies, health outcomes improve. Yet, far too often, their concerns are dismissed.
Consider the case of Serena Williams, who nearly lost her life after giving birth because doctors ignored her symptoms. Despite being one of the most famous athletes in the world, she had to fight to be taken seriously when she experienced life-threatening complications. If it can happen to Serena Williams, what happens to everyday Black women navigating the healthcare system?
McLemore’s research highlights key solutions:
✅ Increase the number of Black healthcare providers to ensure culturally competent care.
✅ Expand midwifery and doula services to provide Black women with additional support during pregnancy and childbirth.
✅ Train healthcare professionals on implicit bias to prevent life-threatening neglect.
By shifting toward patient-centered, trauma-informed care, we can begin to close the racial gap in maternal health outcomes.
Birth justice is about more than just ensuring access to hospitals and doctors—it is about bodily autonomy, dignity, and the right to a safe and respectful birthing experience.
The Reproductive Justice framework, developed by Black women activists in the 1990s, asserts that all people have the right to:
✅ Have children safely.
✅ Not have children if they choose.
✅ Raise their children in safe, supportive environments.
Dr. McLemore’s work aligns with this movement by focusing on how Black women’s lived experiences shape their reproductive health outcomes. She advocates for policies that address:
Her research shows that when Black women are supported holistically—medically, socially, and economically—their birth outcomes improve.
To truly address the Black maternal health crisis, we need more than just medical interventions—we need policy change and systemic accountability.
📌 The Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act aims to expand healthcare access, fund community-based programs, and address social determinants of health.
📌 Medicaid expansions in several states now cover postpartum care for a full year instead of the standard six weeks.
📌 The increased recognition of doulas and midwives is helping to reshape maternal healthcare by offering alternative, culturally attuned birth support.
But policy alone isn’t enough—we need continued advocacy to ensure that Black women’s lives are prioritized in every hospital, clinic, and birthing center.
Dr. McLemore’s research calls for healthcare providers, policymakers, and communities to work together to dismantle the racism embedded in maternal healthcare and create lasting change.
Black maternal health is a human rights issue. Ensuring that Black women receive safe, respectful, and equitable maternity care benefits everyone.
Here’s how we can all support the fight for birth justice:
💜 Listen to Black women. Believe their experiences and advocate for their care.
💜 Support Black midwives and doulas. They play a crucial role in improving birth outcomes.
💜 Push for policy change. Advocate for better maternal healthcare protections and expanded access to care.
💜 Educate healthcare professionals. Challenge implicit bias and demand culturally competent care.
The future of Black maternal health depends on all of us—patients, doctors, advocates, and allies—working together to build a system where Black women no longer have to fight to survive childbirth.
Black maternal health matters, and the fight for birth justice is far from over.
📖 Want to learn more about the Black women shaping reproductive health today?
Read: Honoring the Legacy, Empowering the Future: Black Women’s Contributions to Reproductive Health
💜 Join the Health In Her HUE Community! Find culturally competent doctors, share your experiences, and connect with other Black women advocating for our health.