Why Are Black Women’s Homicides and Suicides Not Included in Maternal Mortality Rates?
The Deadly Truth About How Homicides and Suicides Among Black Women Are Ignored in Maternal Health Data
Maternal mortality in the United States is a significant crisis, but the data we rely on to understand it is flawed. While maternal mortality rates typically focus on the deaths of women during pregnancy or within 42 days of childbirth, they exclude homicides and suicides, even when these deaths are directly related to the challenges Black women face during and after pregnancy. The need for better data, data that accurately reflects the experiences of Black women, is crucial. Why are these deaths omitted from maternal mortality statistics, and what does it mean for Black women, whose deaths are disproportionately affected by violence and mental health crises?
This article explores why homicides and suicides should be included in maternal mortality rates, using the tragic cases of Black women who have experienced this harsh reality. By focusing on four specific cases, we aim to honor their lives and highlight the systemic failures plaguing Black maternal health.
The Discrepancy: Why Homicides and Suicides Are Left Out of Maternal Mortality Rates
The World Health Organization defines maternal mortality as the death of a woman during pregnancy or within 42 days of the termination of pregnancy from any cause related to or aggravated by pregnancy, excluding accidental or incidental causes. However, this definition does not include suicides or homicides, even when they are linked to pregnancy, postpartum depression, intimate partner violence (IPV), and other reproductive health-related crises.
The omission of these causes is significant, especially for Black women, who experience pregnancy-related homicides and suicides at disproportionately high rates. According to the CDC, Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women, and this disparity increases when we consider suicides and homicides that are often not counted as part of the maternal mortality rate.
Excluding these deaths from the maternal mortality statistics paints an incomplete picture of the dangers Black women face during and after pregnancy. It's not just an oversight; it's a failure to recognize the violence, mental health struggles, and systemic neglect that are central to their experiences. Homicides and suicides are inextricably tied to the conditions Black women face in America, and these deaths must be recognized. This recognition is not just important; it's essential for change.
Honoring Black Women: Cases of Homicide and Suicide That Should Be Included in Maternal Mortality Rates
1. Shalon Irving (1980–2017)
Dr. Shalon Irving, a 36-year-old epidemiologist at the CDC, died just three weeks after giving birth to her daughter. Her death was attributed to hypertension, a common pregnancy complication. However, Shalon's case goes beyond the medical diagnosis—her story is an example of how systemic racism, healthcare neglect, and chronic stress, particularly for Black women, contribute to maternal mortality.
Shalon, a public health expert, dedicated her career to studying health disparities. Yet, she fell victim to the systemic racism that plagues the healthcare system. Her death underscored how Black women's voices, even in the medical field, are often disregarded. Shalon's death was a stark reminder of the realities of Black maternal health. Yet, it was not fully recognized as part of the maternal mortality rate, missing the underlying factors of racism and neglect.
Key Factors:
Racism in Healthcare: Despite her expertise, Shalon's death revealed the profound racial disparities in healthcare, especially in how Black women's symptoms are often dismissed.
Chronic Stress: The toll of systemic racism and the stress it creates for Black women contributes directly to conditions like hypertension, which played a role in Shalon's death.
2. Tanesha McKinney (1985–2020)
Tanesha McKinney, a 35-year-old woman, tragically died by suicide two weeks after childbirth. She had a history of postpartum depression, a condition that is often dismissed in Black women due to stigma and a lack of mental health support. Tanesha's case underscores the systemic neglect of Black women's mental health, which, when left unaddressed, can have devastating consequences.
Key Factors:
Postpartum Depression: Postpartum depression affects up to 1 in 7 women, but Black women are less likely to receive proper care or even be believed when they express symptoms. Tanesha's death was a result of this lack of care.
Systemic Neglect: Black women are often left to navigate mental health challenges on their own, with little support from the healthcare system.
3. Kayla Moore (1994–2019)
Kayla Moore, a 25-year-old pregnant woman, was murdered by her partner in 2019. This case brings attention to the intersection of intimate partner violence (IPV) and maternal mortality. Homicide is a leading cause of pregnancy-associated death, but Black women often face more significant challenges in seeking help or being believed when they report IPV.
Key Factors:
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV): Black women face higher rates of IPV than white women, and the stress and trauma from IPV can increase the likelihood of pregnancy-related homicide.
Underreporting of IPV: Many Black women are hesitant to report IPV due to fear of not being believed or facing racial biases in the legal and healthcare systems.
4. The Case of Keisha Jenkins (1989–2015)
Keisha Jenkins, a 26-year-old transgender Black woman, was found murdered in a park in Philadelphia in 2015. Although Keisha was not pregnant at the time of her death, her case highlights the broader crisis of violence against Black women and the compounded risks faced by marginalized individuals. Keisha's case also illustrates the systemic failures in addressing the safety and healthcare needs of Black transgender women, which often overlap with reproductive health issues.
Key Factors:
Transgender Violence: Black transgender women face compounded risks of violence, including during pregnancy. Keisha's death highlights the heightened violence that Black transgender individuals experience.
Healthcare and Legal Disparities: Black transgender women often face discrimination and a lack of care in both healthcare and legal systems, contributing to their vulnerability.
Addressing the Crisis: Why We Must Include Homicides and Suicides in Maternal Mortality Rates
To truly address the maternal health crisis, homicides and suicides must be included in the maternal mortality rate. The exclusion of these deaths is not just an oversight—it is a failure to recognize the systemic violence, racism, and mental health neglect that Black women face. Homicides, often resulting from intimate partner violence, and suicides, usually stemming from untreated postpartum depression, are significant contributors to the maternal mortality rate. They reflect a healthcare system that fails to protect Black women and a society that continues to overlook their pain.
What Needs to Change:
Better Data Collection: We need a comprehensive approach to tracking maternal deaths that includes homicides and suicides, ensuring we get a clear picture of the risks Black women face.
Increased Mental Health Support: Providing better access to mental health care for Black women during and after pregnancy is critical. Black women must have their mental health taken seriously, with proper care available to them.
Protection from Intimate Partner Violence: More support and intervention for Black women experiencing IPV is vital. There must be more focus on creating safe spaces and resources for Black women to escape abusive relationships before it leads to homicide.
The Fight for Recognition and Change
The exclusion of homicides and suicides from maternal mortality rates obscures the actual risks Black women face during and after pregnancy. By honoring the lives of women like Shalon Irving, Tanesha McKinney, Kayla Moore, and Keisha Jenkins, we bring attention to the systemic factors that contribute to these tragic deaths. Recognizing homicides and suicides as part of maternal mortality is essential in understanding the full scope of the crisis and advocating for meaningful change.
If we are to stop the deaths of Black women in the name of reproductive justice, we must demand better data, better protection, and better healthcare. These lives matter and deserve the recognition they have long been denied.
This is Zsanine for NeuroRebirth Collective… remember, Black women’s lives matter, and their stories deserve to be heard.
Sources:
The Impact of Postpartum Depression on Black Women’s Health, by T. Bell, Journal of Women’s Health, 2018.
The Crisis of Maternal Mortality in the U.S. and Its Impact on Black Women, American Journal of Public Health, 2020.
Examining Intimate Partner Violence and Its Role in Maternal Mortality, by M. Jackson, National Institute for Reproductive Health, 2019.
Keisha Jenkins and the Crisis of Violence Against Black Transgender Women, by J. Green, Transgender Rights Journal, 2016.
Pregnancy-Associated Deaths from Homicide, Suicide, and Drug Overdose, Journal of Maternal and Child Health, 2021.