Thread by @kellyblaus, The right to choose is integral to the autonomy of Black women, [...]

The right to choose is integral to the autonomy of Black women, who face unparalleled social, medical, and economic injustice in America. Instead of further stigmatizing a safe and crucial medical procedure, let’s talk about the other factors at play. https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/1315680969270198272

https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/1315680969270198272

(I’ll include sources for these statistics and more information about how you can help at the end of this thread.)

Black women are 3x more likely to die from pregnancy than white women.

Black mothers experience 40.4 deaths per 100,000 live births, compared to 12.1 for white women.

Black women above 30 are 4-5x more likely to die from pregnancy than white women.

College-educated Black women are 5x more likely to die from pregnancy than their white counterparts.

Pregnant Black women are 11x more likely to be murdered than pregnant white women.

Black women of all levels of education are less likely to have access to crucial prenatal care.

Black mothers are twice as likely to experience post-partum depression than new mothers overall.

Maternal health problems “can result from social determinants of health, such as poverty and racism, which have a cumulative impact on Black women’s bodies before, during, and after pregnancy.” — @BlackWomensRJ

Black women are more likely to be poor, unemployed, or work low-wage jobs without health insurance.

Black women are 55% more likely to not have health insurance than white women.

The average Black woman makes only 62 cents for every dollar a white man makes in America.

In 2018, there were 99,025 Black children in foster care.

Black children make up 23% of all foster kids, despite being only 6% of the national child population.

Girls in foster care are more than 2x as likely to become pregnant and have repeat pregnancies by 19.

Black children have the highest rates of child welfare.

The majority of Black people live in the South, where schools tend to offer little to no sex ed or information about birth control.

Black people make up only 6% of physicians and 4% of OB-GYNs, which leads to a huge (and potentially fatal) gap in culturally competent healthcare for Black patients.

This is NOT to say that Black people are any less skilled, qualified, or capable.

It’s the opposite.

We, as a society, have historically barred Black people from accessing the same opportunities as us.

It’s beyond unfair to create a national culture that’s inhospitable to Black lives and then stigmatize Black women for making the decisions that are necessary for their own well-being within that culture.

If you’re opposed to abortion—fine. But if you’re criticizing someone for making the best decision they can under the circumstances we’ve created—and especially if you’re not doing anything to help those circumstances—perhaps you just like criticizing Black life, not ‘saving’ it.

I’m not trying to call out Kanye specifically, because of course the problem is much larger than him. But I do believe in the importance of correcting misinformation and fear-mongering at the site of its spread. Kanye has an enormous following and so much influence.

If you’d like to help, here are some great organizations to support:

Black Mamas Matter Alliance @BlkMamasMatter http://blackmamasmatter.org

The National Association to Advance Black Birth @thenaabb http://theNAABB.org

Black Mamas Matter Alliance - Advancing Black Maternal Health

We envision a world where Black mamas have the rights, respect, and resources to thrive before, during, and after pregnancy. We are a Black women-led cross-sectoral alliance. We center Black mamas to...

http://blackmamasmatter.org

Black Women Health Imperative @blkwomenshealth http://bwhi.org

Growing & Glowing @grow_glow_moms http://growingandglowing.org

Home - Black Women's Health Imperative

We target the most pressing health issues that affect Black women and girls in the U.S. through investments in evidence based strategies, bold programs and advocacy outreach on health policies.

http://bwhi.org

Mamatoto Village @mamatotovillage http://mamatotovillage.org

National Birth Equity Collaborative @BirthEquity http://birthequity.org

Sister Song @SisterSong_WOC http://sistersong.net

Home - NBEC

http://mamatotovillage.org