What’s Old is New Again

A few days ago I came across a snippet in the Des Moines Register Archives from April 8, 1934: Bethel A.M.E. Church was hosting a lecture on Black Maternal Health, given by Dr. Nelle Noble. This short newspaper clipping from nearly 90 years ago is illustrative of the many ways Black Churches filled the gaping holes left by the white power structure and took care of their people. Before birth control, before Roe v. Wade (and it’s repeal on Friday, June 24, 2022), before Black Maternal Health Week, the leadership at Bethel A.M.E. partnered with white woman doctor and ally, Dr. Nelle Noble.

In 1934, there were only two clinics in the city that accepted Black patients. We can only guess what the Black maternal death rate might have been -the CDC only began tracking this data point in 2019. In 2020, CDC data revealed that while maternal death rates among white people with uteruses are about 19 per 100,000 births. For Black people, that number jumps to about 55 per 100,000 births. What gives? Systemic racism creates tons of barriers to care, whether it be access, or being respected and listened to by your doctor. The same sentiments will likely get Black folks reported, incarcerated, and subsequently disenfranchised (recall that people who have felonies on their records cannot vote in many states) more often as we transition to a world where anything less than a live birth is met with suspicion. Pre-Roe, fatalities among Black women from illegal, unsafe abortion was 12 times greater than that of white women. A recent study from Duke projects that this new landscape will increase maternal mortality among all women by 21%. For Black people with uteruses, that number jumps to 33%.

This Post-Roe reality will disproportionately impact Black bodies. Talk to your people: Abortion remains legal in Iowa for now. Find networks that you trust. Be careful. Help each other. Nobody is coming to save us. We’re all we’ve got.

“If you can’t be brave, be kind.” – Sarah Kendzidor

“We must be as one village, together in this place.” – Alex Haley