SWAN HUMR Assignment 1
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Carleton University *
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1001
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Medicine
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Apr 3, 2024
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5
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DEATH BY BLACKNESS – THE INTERSECTION OF RACISM AND HEALTHCARE 1 Death by Blackness – The Intersection of Racism (against Black Women) and Health Care Gabby Swan (101259178) Department of Human Rights and Social Justice, Carleton University HUMR 1001 B: Introduction to Human Rights Dr. Shazia Sadaf 9 December 2022
DEATH BY BLACKNESS – THE INTERSECTION OF RACISM AND HEALTHCARE 2 Death by Blackness – The Intersection of Racism (against Black Women) and Health Care Using examples from the United States, I intend to demonstrate how years of systemic racism have been embedded into US culture and have resulted in racial disparities for Black women in healthcare. Dismissal of Black pain is rooted in white superiority and the belief that Black people are biologically different from their white counterparts and therefore are less susceptible to pain. Racism in healthcare has resulted in Black individuals receiving lower-quality healthcare services that can potentially lead to future health issues. For example, in the US, African American women are twice as likely to die during childbirth in the United States than in any other racial community. Healthcare in the United States is highly politized, and politicians strategically use and create healthcare policies that disproportionately affect disadvantaged individuals and communities. As a result, there are high mortality and morbidity rates among the US African American population. The following articles address, analyze, and provide examples of obstetric violence, medical neglect, and sexual and reproductive health disparities. Annotated Bibliography Brown, K., Plummer, M., Bell, A., Combs, M., Gates-Burgess, B., Mitchell, A., Sparks, M., McLemore, M. R., & Jackson, A. (2022). Black Women’s Lived Experiences of Abortion. Qualitative Health Research
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(7), 1099–1113. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497323221097622 The article uses qualitative research to analyze how Black women experience reproductive health care about abortion. Reproductive healthcare is more of a privilege than a right for Black women because of structural racism and systemic oppression. Participants of the study share experiences with barriers to accessing abortion care, such as geographical and financial barriers. In contrast, others felt targeted by family planning clinics and Planned Parenthood in minority areas to encourage abortions. I intend to use this article to provide examples and demonstrate how
DEATH BY BLACKNESS – THE INTERSECTION OF RACISM AND HEALTHCARE 3 reproductive health care is politicized in the United States. Unwanted pregnancies are common in the African American community. With the reversal of Roe v. Wade, it is becoming more restricted and increasingly difficult to obtain, which disproportionality affects minority women. Conversely, abortion is also a form of sterilization that targets Black women. Mehra, R., Boyd, L. M., Magriples, U., Kershaw, T. S., Ickovics, J. R., & Keene, D. E. (2020). Black Pregnant Women “Get the Most Judgment”: A Qualitative Study of the Experiences of Black Women at the Intersection of Race, Gender, and Pregnancy. Women’s Health Issues
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(6), 484–492. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2020.08.001 The article discusses racialized pregnancy stigma, which refers to the gendered racism experienced by Black women about pregnancy and motherhood. The paper examines the correlation between racialized pregnancy stigma and psychological stress, derailment of pregnancy and access to quality services while pregnant by interviewing pregnant Black women in Connecticut over 18. A common theme for study participants is that their pregnancies felt devalued by society, in an everyday context and within healthcare. Assumptions about their autonomy, income and education level left some women feeling they must prove they are worthy of pregnancy. This directly impacted their stress levels and enjoyment of pregnancy, which increases the risk of poor pregnancy outcomes. I want to use this article to demonstrate how racism manifests outside the healthcare system and translates into racism within the healthcare system. The article focuses on the impacts of racism on an individual level, more than structural. Pallok, K., De Maio, F., & Ansell, D. A. (2019). Structural Racism—A 60-Year-Old Black Woman with Breast Cancer. New England Journal of Medicine
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(16), 1489–1493. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp1811499
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DEATH BY BLACKNESS – THE INTERSECTION OF RACISM AND HEALTHCARE 4 Using a Black woman’s experience receiving breast cancer care, the article focuses on medical disparities in the Chicago area. Ms. M was seeking medical attention because of a lump on her breast, which the doctor dismissed by sending her home with antibiotics and no formal diagnostic testing. It took her several referrals to see a surgical oncologist, who informed her that she had stage III infiltrating ductal carcinoma. Amputation would have been necessary if Ms. M had received the diagnosis later. Hospitals in predominately Black areas of Chicago are not up to the basic standards of care. Noting that the geographic distribution of high-quality care is the root cause of the morality disparity between white and black women. To decrease disparities, the task force implements efforts to increase the quality of care in affected areas, including physician workshops, standardized data collection and referral to ACS-approved hospitals. The significance of this article is that it supports and identifies real-world examples and strategies to combat and reduce medical inequities. Ms. M’s story demonstrates a common experience among Black patients. Structural Racism and Maternal Health Among Black Women. (2020). The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics
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(3), 506–517. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073110520958875 The article asserts that structural racism remains the most potent determinant of Black women’s maternal health. The article briefly discusses the reproductive oppression experienced by Black women and how it continues to affect maternal health among Black Americans. Sexual reproduction oppression has historical roots in slavery and has been used to justify forced sterilization, dismissal of black pain and obstetric and gynecologic violence. Black bodies were viewed as inferior therefore using them for sexual exploitation was not considered a violation of human rights or their autonomy. Enslaved women were often subjected to sexual surgical experiments to test fertility. After the abolition of slavery, many other approaches to controlling women’s fertility were created, including the eugenics movement, which labelled who was fit enough
DEATH BY BLACKNESS – THE INTERSECTION OF RACISM AND HEALTHCARE 5 to reproduce, excluding women of colour. This article helps answer why Black pregnancies and sexual health are viewed as inferior. Systemic racism reinforces and upholds harmful narratives that are used to justify inadequate treatment. Using other research, the article confirms that regardless of social status or income, Black women are more likely to die during childbirth, receive cesarean sections and have their pregnancy-related concerns overlooked by physicians.