Did you know that on average in the U.S., Black women are four times more likely than white women to die from pregnancy-related issues?

Did you know that this statistic holds true regardless of class and education?

This alarming statistic is foundational to the statewide maternal and infant mortality campaign launched in Missouri on April 24 by Reproaction and Capital Area Missouri NOW. We partnered with Fusion TV Network to screen The Naked Truth: Death by Delivery at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Jefferson, Mo. 20 attendees showed up to watch this powerful documentary that explores pregnancy-related death disparities between white and Black women.

An awesome panel of four healthcare professionals (a doctor, nurse, doula, and midwife) and an additional person directly affected by infant mortality followed the screening. The panelists spoke about their experiences as women positioned inside and outside of healthcare institutions. The Q&A between panelists and the audience was so impassioned that the event continued 30 minutes past time! As exciting as the campaign launch was, it was just the beginning.

Not only are we taking this show on the road, but we are also working to build the campaign to include more organizations. Our maternal and infant mortality campaign aims to promote a deeper understanding of the reasons behind Missouri and the nation’s disproportionately high maternal and infant mortality rates for women of color, and specifically for Black women. Another priority is to connect maternal and infant mortality rates with other issues in reproductive health and health care more broadly in the United States.

Stay tuned for announcements of when we will be in other parts of Missouri. While you wait patiently, you can support and participate in this campaign more immediately by signing the petition below and by tweeting your support.

Please sign this petition: 

Connecting maternal and infant mortality to other reproductive health and broader health issues is not very difficult in Missouri, because Governor Greiten’s proposed budget continues to funnel federal TANF funds meant to alleviate hunger to fake clinics that lie to women about abortion and their healthcare options. Please sign Reproaction’s petition demanding Gov. Greitens launch an investigation into the use of our tax dollars to fund fake clinics: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/gov-greitens-enough-is-enough

You may choose to retweet tweets by searching for the following hashtags or by crafting your tweets – just make sure you include the hashtags!

Follow us on Twitter:
@Reproaction
@evonniastarr
@CapAreaMONOW
@Fusion

Use these hashtags:

#DeathByDelivery  #ReproJustice #DeadlyDelivery