Every Mother Deserves to Be Heard

Every mother deserves to be heard. Discover why evidence-based care, informed choices, and respectful maternity care can save lives.

Women deserve evidence-based care, informed choices, and to be listened to.

Every mother deserves to be heard, respected, and taken seriously throughout pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period. Yet in the United States, too many women—especially Black women—experience delayed treatment, dismissed concerns, and unequal care. These are not isolated experiences; they are part of a maternal health crisis that continues to cost lives.

The United States continues to have one of the highest maternal mortality rates among wealthy nations. Even more alarming, Black women are more than three times as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes as White women. Research has shown that these disparities cannot simply be explained by income, education, or lifestyle. They are also influenced by unequal access to quality care, delayed diagnosis and treatment, implicit bias, and systemic inequities within healthcare.

Perhaps the most heartbreaking reality is that more than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths in the United States are considered preventable. That means thousands of families could be spared unimaginable loss through better communication, timely medical care, earlier recognition of complications, and healthcare providers who truly listen when a woman says something doesn't feel right.

I believe one essential part of the solution is expanding access to respectful, community-centered maternity care. For healthy, low-risk pregnancies, midwives can provide excellent clinical care while collaborating with obstetricians whenever medical complications arise. Doulas serve a different but equally important role by providing continuous emotional, physical, and informational support throughout pregnancy and birth. Research has shown that continuous labor support is associated with lower cesarean rates, fewer medical interventions, and more positive birth experiences.

This is not about choosing midwives over physicians or doulas over nurses. It is about building a healthcare system where every member of the birth team works together, where medical intervention is used when it is truly needed, and where every woman is treated with dignity and respect.

For Black mothers in particular, safer birth requires more than telling women to advocate for themselves. The healthcare system must also accept responsibility for addressing bias, improving the quality and timeliness of care, listening when women report that something is wrong, and ensuring that every mother receives equitable, evidence-based treatment.

As a future birth doula, I believe every woman deserves to be an active participant in her own birth experience. She deserves honest information, informed choices, compassionate care, and a team that respects her voice.

Women deserve evidence-based care, informed choices, and to be listened to.

Erika Harrison

Cincinnati-based doula supporting families through pregnancy, birth, and beyond.

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