Background

Black Maternal Rates have spiked and continue to rise over time. When we sit down an look at the data it tells you alot. Majority of the highest rates of Black Mortality take place in the south. The place where we have the highest Black populations. Black maternal rates rising can stem from numerous things. According to Black Women Five Times More Likely to Die from Pregnancy-Related Cardiomyopathy, Blood Pressure Disorders Than White Women ,conditions such as preeclampsia/eclampsia were at the number one spot followed by cardicardiomyopathy, embolism, hemorrhage, and ectopic pregnancy are the leading factor for high black maternal death rates. Black Women's maternal mortality was 2.5 ties higher than any racial groups in the United States. This goes back deep in history when the "Father of modern gynecology," J.0 Marion Sims used Slave women to make contributions to the field of medicine.

Sims conducted numerous surgical experiments on enslaved women in the 19th century, primarily in Montgomery, Alabama, and later in New York City. These experiments aimed to develop new surgical techniques for repairing obstetric fistulas, a condition resulting from prolonged childbirth that causes urinary or fecal incontinence. Despite his medical advancements, Sims' methods were deeply unethical and exploitative. He subjected enslaved women to repeated surgeries without their consent, often without anesthesia, and in unsanitary conditions. These women endured immense pain, suffering, and long-term physical and psychological trauma as a result of Sims' experiments. This led to the sentiment or the idea that black people experience pain at a lesser rate than their white counterparts. This idea traveled and eventually medical readings pick up on this and would eventually teach this in their curriculum.