Black Maternal Health Crisis in Post-Roe America: Upholding Reproductive Freedom 

Almost two years have passed since the overturn of Roe v. Wade, and Floridians are suffering. During those two years, the struggle for reproductive freedom deepened. Black Floridians have borne the most weight of not having access to reproductive healthcare. Black Women between the ages of 15 and 44 are more likely to have an abortion and contract sexually transmitted from their partner than their white counterparts. At the same time, Black women are 2-3 times more likely to die in childbirth compared to white women. Tori Bowie, an Olympic athlete and Florida resident, was eight months pregnant when she died last year from suspected respiratory distress and eclampsia. Black women are more than 60% more likely to suffer from preeclampsia. Early recognition and education of symptoms are crucial to preventing severe preeclampsia.   

From the lack of access to healthcare facilities to the lack of competent care, every act of reproductive discrimination has its foundation in systemic racism. As a young Black Floridian woman who would like to give birth one day, I get increasingly disheartened and frightened when I consider the current state of the healthcare available, or lack thereof, to me. Even more troubling is how little regard decision-makers have for my community's well-being.   

Anti-reproductive freedom decision-makers uphold the tenets of discrimination by focusing their attention on restricting abortion access rather than improving the lives of birthing people and their children.   

In early February, the Florida Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the grassroots-led Amendment 4. The Attorney General's office contends that Floridians cannot understand what viability means and that Floridians do not understand the consequences of the amendment's approval. Voters understand the importance of such an issue, as evidenced by the nearly one million signatures collected on behalf of the coalition proposing the amendment. We also understand that healthcare decisions are transformative and best left in the hands of an individual and their healthcare provider.  

In conjunction with ensuring people have the codified right to an abortion, resources and policies to increase positive black maternal health outcomes must be established. The 2024 legislative session has proved less helpful than the year before. House Bill 415 (HB 415) / Senate Bill 436 (SB 436) are designed to "empower individuals with knowledge and support necessary to navigate the joys of pregnancy and parenting" by mandating the creation of a website. The website would be featured on the Department of Health, the Department of Children and Families, and the Agency for Health Care Administrations.  Yet the bills lack the ability to further increase access to comprehensive care. Amendments that would allow doulas to advertise their services on the website and provide contraception resources and information about abortion were rejected. Each of the amendments denied aimed to provide resources to empower individuals and equip people with support and knowledge to plan their families.    

I consider my current use of contraceptives a privilege, as not everyone has access to that resource due to structural inequities. As I transitioned to college, obtaining contraceptives became difficult. From lack of transportation to appointments to lack of funds to pay for said appointments, birth control became elusive. My experience was not unique. Over 1.4 million women in Florida live in an area where access to comprehensive contraceptive care is challenging. HB 415 and SB 436 are missing resources like financial support to alleviate the costs of contraceptives and education on contraception use for women with low incomes to effectively achieve the expressed intentions of the bills. 

As an organizer for Planned Parenthood of South, East and North Florida, I have witnessed the devastation of abortion bans and restrictions on gender-affirming care across our state and beyond. The patient escorting program puts me and volunteers on the frontline of the struggle for bodily autonomy. The results of those statistical and policy studies have played out right in front of me. Floridians impacted by abortion limits must travel long distances to access care and often carry pregnancies against their will. Meanwhile, many face barriers to accessing contraception due to red tape from insurance policies. The odds are stacked against Floridians seeking access to basic healthcare, and systemically, the risks and adverse outcomes are exacerbated for Black women in our state. 

- Crishelle Bailey, Black Organizing Program Director, Planned Parenthood of South, East and North Florida