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John, I was 24 years old when I had my son, and I was without access to paid leave or quality health care. When I arrived at the hospital, I saw right away that I was being treated differently than those who had private health insurance. I was left alone for hours in pain, facing life-threatening complications. No one came to check on me — except for one nurse, who told me to be quiet so I wouldn’t scare the other patients in labor. I didn’t know if my son or I would survive the night. Thankfully, we did. Unfortunately, my story is all too familiar for women of color. Too often, systemic racism in the medical industry harms and kills Black women. That’s why Black women are twice as likely to have life-threatening complications, four times as likely to die while giving birth, and nine times as likely to lose a pregnancy than their white counterparts. And these inequities have only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis. We can’t continue to ignore these jarring facts — it’s past time for our state to take action and save moms’ lives. That’s why I released a bold plan to eliminate racial disparities in maternal mortality in Virginia by 2025 and protect Black mothers by requiring implicit bias training for health care professionals, establishing pregnancy medical homes, increasing funding for doulas, and implementing a universal paid family and medical leave program.
Today marks the final day of Black Maternal Health Week, but this crisis will not end once the clock strikes midnight. I won’t stop fighting until we finally put an end to racial disparities for our Black mothers and their infants. Thanks for standing by me on this critical, and extremely personal issue. — Hala |
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As a lifelong Virginian, Hala understands where we’ve come from and embodies the diversity of our future. She’s running for Lt. Governor because she knows we have the power to move forward together, and she knows what it’ll take to get it done. Will you pitch in to join our movement for a brighter future for all?
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