#USA - She arrived at the hospital happy and pregnant. She left dead.

Black mothers are up to five times more likely to die from pregnancy-related issues than their white peers!

Dear friends, 26-year-old Sha-Asia Washington was ecstatic to be pregnant. She and her partner, Juwan Lopez, couldn't wait to be parents. While she was otherwise completely healthy, Sha-Asia arrived at the Woodhull Medical Center in Brooklyn to consult with her doctors about her high blood pressure a few days past her due date. For two days she remained at the hospital, but doctors declined to address her blood pressure or prescribe her medications for it. When her situation didn't improve, doctors pressured her to agree to an emergency C-section and an epidural to induce labor. Five days after her arrival, Sha-Asia gave birth to a healthy, adorable baby named Khloe. But she didn't live to meet her daughter, or to find out Juwan was planning to propose. Every single part of this tragedy could have been prevented. In fact, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this is true for approximately 90% of maternal deaths. But not all mothers are equally at risk. Studies show that Black women in the U.S. are up to five times more likely than their white peers to die during childbirth. And that's not an accident. Black women are routinely undertreated, disbelieved, and misinformed by professionals who are supposed to be caring for them. This is a national crisis! That's why Senator Kamala Harris has introduced the Maternal Care Access and Reducing Emergencies (Maternal CARE) Act to directly address these disparities and deaths. Sign the petition to tell the U.S. Congress it must pass the Maternal CARE Act now! Thank you for all that you do,   Miranda B. The Care2 Petitions Team P.S. Medical racism is widespread, and it's killing Black mothers at alarming rates. Sign the petition to demand that Congress takes action to prevent more deaths!