How Catholic Hospitals Address Black Maternal Health Inequities

"I was scared I was going to die every time I was pregnant," said Laurie Bertram Roberts, a 44-year-old mother of eight who lives in Mississippi. Roberts is not alone. For many Black women in the United States, the prospect of childbirth comes with fear. "It should be one of the most joyous times -- the whole birth process or thinking of creating or expanding their family -- but they have to think about dying," said Dr. Rachel Villanueva, an OB-GYN and president of the National Medical Association, the leading Black medical society. "You try to comfort and reassure them, but all they have to do is look at the statistics. The statistics are horrifying."