Pregnancy has long been riskier than abortion in America. About 650-750 US women die during pregnancy each year, the highest maternal death rate in the industrialized world.
Comparatively, very few women die from abortion or suffer complications: two women died from abortion complications in 2018. So, when Roe v Wade was overturned last summer, there were fears that deaths and complications from pregnancy would shoot up – particularly among women of color.
Black women were 2.6 times more likely to die during pregnancy and childbirth than their white counterparts in 2021 according to CDC analysis. Structural racism, Medicaid coverage and a failure to properly invest in maternal healthcare all contribute to this. Black women report being dismissed, overlooked and ignored during childbirth and by the medical institution generally when it comes to maternal care.
