{"id":408,"date":"2026-06-11T16:05:57","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T16:05:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/northcarolinamovingjournal.com\/?p=408"},"modified":"2026-06-11T16:05:57","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T16:05:57","slug":"supporters-say-state-action-can-reduce-pregnancy-related-deaths-of-black-women-in-nc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/northcarolinamovingjournal.com\/?p=408","title":{"rendered":"Supporters say state action can reduce pregnancy-related deaths of Black women in NC"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Healthcare providers, advocates and politicians gathered in Raleigh Wednesday to push for state laws and grant programs they say would reduce pregnancy-related deaths among Black women.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more NC ban on \u2018addictive\u2019 social media for children under 14 one vote away from governor\u2019s desk<\/a><\/p>\n

In North Carolina, the Black maternal death rate was<\/span> 61.4 for each 100,000 births from 2019-2023,<\/span> according to America\u2019s Health Rankings. The maternal mortality rate for white women was 22.3 per 100,000 births.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nationally, Black women die from pregnancy-related complications and conditions at about three times the rate of white women.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Speakers pointed to implicit bias, inadequate support for women after they give birth, and lack of access to doulas and midwives as reasons Black mothers are more likely to die.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Michele Benoit-Wilson, an OB-GYN in Raleigh, presented vignettes to illustrate the potentially deadly consequences of inadequate postpartum care, lack of access to addiction specialists, and doctors dismissing Black women\u2019s reports of worrying symptoms.<\/span><\/p>\n

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An NC police officer died during pregnancy. Her family says it didn\u2019t have to happen.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n