87. Dr. Arthur James on Black infants and women and prejudice in the medical system
Dr. James, an OB/GYN and pediatrician, has spent his professional life trying to achieve equality in birth outcomes. Everyone should receive equal medical care, but that’s not the case in America. According to the Centers for Disease Control’s latest report on infant mortality, babies born to Black women have the hightest mortality rate. In addition, Black mothers report they aren’t treated as well as white women by medical professionals.
Dr. James explains that achieving equity will require at least three things: (1) respecting all individuals and populations the same, (2) recognizing and rectifying past historical injustices, and (3) taking a targeted or proportionate universal approach; providing the most assistance to the groups experiencing the worst outcomes. A race-neutral approach will not result in achieving equity. This means we must improve the maternal and infant mortality rates for Blacks and other minorities at a faster pace while working to improve those rates for other groups, without slowing down our efforts to achieve the best birth outcomes for everyone. Listen to our conversation with Dr. James.
