The Death of Sha-Asia Washington Show Racial Disparities Black Women Face in Childbirth
Black women die at a rate three times higher than white women when giving birth. The death of Sha-Asia Washington has shown the racial disparities Black women face in childbirth.
After carrying her baby for the last nine months, Sha-Asia Washington, 26, had looked forward to being a mother.
On July 2 Washington, went to Woodhull Medical Center in New York for a routine stress test. At the time she was a few days past her due date. After doctors noticed that her blood pressure was high, Washington was given a drug to induce labor.
She was asked if she wanted an epidural which she was unsure of, but later agreed, according to her family.
Juwan Lopez, her boyfriend, was was on FaceTime with his mother Desiree Williams when the situation started going downhill.
Washington was rushed into the operating room, leaving Lopez devastated and screaming. He could not figure out what was going on. It was in that moment, that he found out that the baby’s heart rate was dropping.
Washington went into cardiac arrest while doctors delivered her baby via c-section. Washington was pronounced dead after doctors spent 45 minutes trying to save her with CPR. Her newborn daughter Khloe, was healthy.
The death of Sha-Asia Washington has sparked outrage in the Black community, especially Black women.
Her death is shedding light on racial disparities Black women face when giving birth. Black women die at a rate three times higher than white women when giving birth.
In 2018, 658 women died of maternal causes in the U.S. A recent study showed Black women had a death rate of 40.8 per 100,000 births, three times higher than the rate of white women. American Indian and Native Alaskan women had the next highest rate at 29.7 deaths per 100,000 live births, more than double the rate in white women.
There are several reasons for the disparities, including systematic and institutional racism within the healthcare system, underlying health conditions (more common in Black mothers) and access to prenatal care.
Washington’s family is now seeking justice. A GoFundMe page has been set up and has now raised more than $88,000 to help with funeral costs and to support Lopez, who is now raising his daughter Khloe as a single father.
“WOODHULL HOSPITAL KILLED SHAASIA GIVING HER A EPIDURAL PLEASE HELP US GET JUSTICE,” said a description on the fundraiser page.
This also comes three months after Amber Rose Isaac, 26, died at Monterfiore Medical Center in the Bronx after expressing her concerns on how she had been getting treated from the hospital on Twitter.
Stand-up comedian Amy Schumer, is also using her platform to speak about the cases.
“We need to wake up and do better everyday,” she wrote, alongside flawless pregnancy photos of Washington and Lopez.
Washington’s family wants to raise awareness about what happened to her and other Black women who died in childbirth. Last Thursday the family gathered outside Woodhull Medical Center alongside friends and a group of New York City Doulas.
According to Washingtons’s future sister-in-law, Jasmin Lopez “If you know Sha-Asia she wanted to be a mom and she was gonna be an amazing one.”
Pictures from:
1. Rollingstone.com
2. Essence.com
Report: Juana Norales
Instagram: @juana.n_
Shopping For Your Maternity Wardrobe
What we wear should make us feel good, especially for our moms to be. Finding the perfect pair of jeans and tops can be tough, and for pregnant women, even harder. Read more to see some great places to shop tha
When shopping for maternity clothes, the number one priority is to make sure you’re comfortable in what you wear. As the weeks go on there will be more discomfort due to weight gain, bloating and your body just overall changing. It's nice to have clothes that hug your body, but in all the right places. The key to finding a great outfit is to find something that will grow with your cute baby bumps. Try to buy items that you can mix and match with other pieces of clothing so that you can wear with other pieces you have. Jeans While it is very comfy to wear leggings while you're pregnant because of the elasticity, sometimes a girl just wants to wear a cute pair of jeans.
Bloomingdale's and A Pea in the Pod are great places to buy a good pair of maternity jeans. A Pea in the Pod Frame Secret Fit Belly LE High Skinny Triangle Raw Maternity Jeans $104.98
Bloomingdale's Nom Maternity- Soho Over-the-Belly Skinny Jeans in Dark Blue $128.00 Shirts Do not hide your bump! Show off those beautiful curves and adorable belly! This is the time to get away with it without feeling weird about it!
Loft Maternity Clean Cami $24.50 Maternity Floral Ruffle Mixed Media Shell $54.50 Maternity Ruffle Split Neck Top $59.50
Being pregnant is such a beautiful moment where you are holding so much joy inside of you, but it can come with a lot of body insecurities. It can get stressful for mothers to wear something that makes them feel good while they are going through such big changes in their lives. Don’t lose yourself or your style. Plus your children will look back on pictures of you while you were pregnant to see what a cool and stylish mom they got!
Photo Credits: Pinterest, Bloomingdale's, A pea in the Pod, Loft
Report: Melissa Adragna
At the rise of Covid-19 many of us first questioned the timeline of fashion week and would we see the regular calendar continue - the question weighed over many of us for months! It was refreshing to see design houses and designers across the globe take advantage of the uncertainty and plow into production mode - thus my interest in Jerri Reid New York - The Black Designer based in Brooklyn New York wow’d instagram with his latest collection paying homage to the Black Is King film which debuted earlier this year in July. I was taken aback at quick of a turn round the young designer produced and released his well crafted designs reflecting some of the films most memorable moments.