Why Don't Doctors Care About Black Women? | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Race

Why Don't Doctors Care About Black Women?

No amount of money or social prestige can save a black woman.

375
Why Don't Doctors Care About Black Women?

On Thursday, actress and model Kim Porter was found dead in her home due to a potential cardiac arrest episode. While it is still not entirely clear how Porter died, she had been suffering from pneumonia-like symptoms weeks before her death. The night before she died she called her doctors telling them she still didn't feel better but doctors did nothing to help.

Her death adds to the growing concern for black women as they face a negligent medical field. While there has always been racism in the field, efforts are being made to draw attention and reform the system that does not even protect celebrity black women.

Similar to Porter's case, Serena Williams almost died when giving birth to her daughter due to completely preventable circumstances she continued to tell her doctor about. Speaking out about it, Williams drew attention to the little-known fact that the risk of pregnancy-related deaths is 3 to 4 times higher for black women than White women.

Affluent and well advantaged black women still suffer negligent medical care and often face highly preventable deaths. Black women such as Shalon Irving, an epidemiologist at the CDC, are still ignored and left for dead from high blood pressure or cardiac issues. Even a PhD or an abundance of public spotlight and prestige cannot stop the neglect.

So what is to say about the average Black woman excited about her new baby? What is to say about the low-income Black woman who knows her body doesn't feel right, but her doctors don't care? What is to say about the Black woman who does not even have access to health care?

Black women, no matter what social standing, face terrifying statistics. Black women are 22 percent more like to die from heart disease than White women, 71 percent more likely to die from cervical cancer, and a ridiculous 243 percent more likely to die from childbirth complications.

As a Black person, you are conditioned from birth to know the racism that you will face and how to steel yourself against it. You know your classmates won't take you seriously in your studies. You know you'll be watched as you walk through a store to buy a pair of jeans. You relate to the people on the news who speak out about being arrested from a coffee shop for trying to use the restroom.

But as a black woman, to know your life could be cut shorter than any other woman by a simple health complication is terrifying and hard to prepare for. You fear for your mothers and your daughters and the black women around you who deserve nothing but a beautiful life. You fear for yourself because you don't know if the pain in your chest is nothing to worry about or actually the end of your short life. You already carry the weight of society's standards for Black women, but now you must face the fact that your death could also be a highly racist event.

What is most terrifying is no amount of money or social prestige can protect black women from these ridiculous medical disparities. If arguably the greatest tennis player in the world can almost die from childbirth, what happens to the average Black women across America?

When America start caring about Black women?

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

190100
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

14830
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

457806
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

26597
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments