
Advocates around the country came together on Jan. 14 at a virtual press conference to call for action on disparities in maternal health care for women of color and pushed to bring to light continued systemic issues in maternal health care
Advocates circled around 4Kira4Moms, a Los Angeles advocacy group centered on improving maternal outcomes for women of color, to call for federal and local governments to address discriminatory practices in maternal health. 4Kira4Moms has its efforts largely centered on Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, but pointed to the ubiquity of continued poor maternal health treatment around the country.
“These systemic failures contribute to higher rates of maternal harm and maternal mortality in communities like ours,” said Kimberly Turban, a proclaimed survivor of inadequate maternal care. “I was the first person nationally with clear cut evidence of what exactly occurs behind closed doors of hospitals because of my willingness to post my birth video for the world to see.”
Turban was subjected to a non-consensual decision by medical staff to perform an episiotomy. The procedure widens the canal through an incision of the perineum — but this operation has been largely considered highly unnecessary for modern maternal care, according to Mayo Clinic. Turban, who is Latina, noted frequent racist comments by nurses due to the child’s birth occurring on Cinco de Mayo.
“Mothers of color endure a compound layer of injustices that must be addressed,” Turban said. “Cedars-Sinai and other hospitals must implement meaningful systemic changes to address racial bias in care and ensure that all patients, regardless of race, receive equitable and respectful treatment.”
Charles Johnson, the founder of 4Kira4Moms, urges that while this is a consistent issue at Cedars-Sinai, it’s not unique to his home state of California. Johnson founded 4Kira4Moms in 2017 after he lost his wife Kira, during a routine C-section at Cedar Sinai hospital in Los Angeles.
“Black and brown mothers have been dying, not just, you know, for decades, for 100 years, in American hospitals,” Johnson said. “It’s just not a state problem. If you’re a white mother and you go in to deliver a baby, your chances of living are a lot higher. If you’re a Black or Brown mother, you ought to be afraid. You ought to be afraid, and it’s because you’re in America.”
Maternal health disparities for women of color have risen over the years. According to the Center for Disease Control, Black women are three times more likely to die from preventable pregnancy-related deaths than white women. Factors attributed to the increased likelihood come from quality in health care, underlying chronic conditions, structural racism and implicit bias in care.
In fighting the cause, activists call for Cedars-Sinai to be scrutinized as a first step to address maternal health care disparages. 4Kira4Moms is currently working with the Office of Civil Rights where an investigation has begun to uncover patterns of harm, discrimination and abuse targeted towards patients of color.
Among demands are for Cedars-Sinai to acknowledge systemic failings, accountability for health equity disparages and divert 20% of state, city and federal funds received by the hospital to be utilized to support BIPOC-led maternal health programs. Additionally, they call for an independent oversight committee, non-discrimination training and a zero-tolerance policy for staff found engaging in racially biased practices.
In Wisconsin, racial and ethnic disparages have risen in the CDC’s most recent statistics on infant mortality deaths. The national rate for deaths for Black, Latino and Native American infants rose. From 2019-2021, Black infants were three times more likely to die before their first birthday than white infants; Native American infants were 1.5 times more likely to die.
In 2023, 49 preventable pregnancy-related deaths were reported, according to the Wisconsin Maternal Mortality Review Team. The number is down from 2022 with 51 preventable pregnancy deaths and down from 2021’s 56. Figures for 2024 are yet to be released.
The number of deaths has largely remained stagnant at around 50 since 2020 — but the figure has steadily increased since 2018 with 27 preventable pregnancy-related deaths. In Dane County, groups like Saving Our Babies work towards preventing deaths from lack of proper maternal care for Black birthing people and infants.