Rooted in Justice & Joy

Pennsylvania continues to face a maternal health crisis, and Black women and birthing people bear the greatest burden.

Black women in Pennsylvania are nearly three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. These deaths are not driven by biology or individual behavior, but by systemic failures: delayed care, implicit bias, lack of culturally responsive providers, gaps in postpartum support, and economic and social stressors that compound health risks.

The crisis does not end at birth. More than half of pregnancy-related deaths occur during the postpartum period, often weeks or months after delivery, when support systems fall away and health coverage has historically lapsed.

You can read more about this topic in our full blog here.