Democrat Cori Bush: 'Black Birthing People and Our Babies Die Because Doctors Don’t Believe Our Pain'
Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) tweeted Thursday that “black birthing people and our babies die because our doctors don’t believe our pain.”
Bush, who spoke in front of the House Oversight and Government Reform Full Committee Hearing to examine America’s black maternal health crisis, also said black birthing people “are subjected to harsh and racist treatment during pregnancy and childbirth.
“Every day black women die because the system denies our humanity. It denies us patient care,” she doubled down.
Every day, Black birthing people and our babies die because our doctors don’t believe our pain. My children almost became a statistic. I almost became a statistic.
I testified about my experience @OversightDems today.
Hear us. Believe us. Because for so long, nobody has. pic.twitter.com/rExrMXzsSQ
— Congresswoman Cori Bush (@RepCori) May 6, 2021
“Around five months, I went to see my doctor for a routine prenatal visit. As I was sitting in the doctor’s office, I noticed a picture on the wall that said: ‘If you feel like something is wrong, something is wrong. Tell your doctor,'” Cori explained by telling a story about her past.
“I felt like something was wrong, so that’s what I did. I told my doctor. I told her that I was having severe pains, and she said, ‘Oh no you’re fine. You’re fine. Go home and I’ll see you next time,'” Cori told the tail. “So that’s what I did. I went home.”
Cori’s statement’s comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported the United State’s birth rate dropped by four percent in 2020. The birthrate is the ‘largest yearly drop in five decades.”
The Guardian examined the CDC’s data:
The U.S. once was among only a few developed countries with a fertility rate above the 2.1 children per woman that ensured each generation had enough children to replace itself.
But the rate has been sliding for more than 10 years and last year dropped to about 1.6, the lowest rate on record. The figures suggest that the current generation will not have enough children to replace itself.
The CDC report is based on a review of more than 99 percent of birth certificates issued last year. The findings echo a recent Associated Press analysis of 2020 data from 25 states showing that births had fallen during the coronavirus outbreak.
