Being Black Impacts Maternal and Other Health Outcomes

June 29, 2021, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

The Government of Canada along with the health agencies in Canada have long been aware that social determinants and inequities in health care are impacted by racism. They have published an article highlighting how “Anti-Balck racism and systemic discrimination are key drivers of health inequalities faced by diverse Black Canadian communities.”

It should come as no surprise then that U.K. and U.S. data show Black women have worse health outcomes than other maternal groups. The data from Canada on this is still limited. National data in Canada does demonstrate that the inequalities in health outcomes and discrimination are attributed to being Black.
The Government of Canada also reports that

Evidence of institutional discrimination in key determinants of health is also presented, including education, income, and housing. Finally, national data is shared demonstrating inequalities in health outcomes and determinants of health. Readers are invited to reflect on how racism and discrimination may contribute to these inequalities.

The CBC News has also reported that the only race-based studies examining pregnancy were done in 2016 at McGill University. It showed that 8.9% of Black women gave birth prematurely as opposed to 5.9% of their White peers. Black babies were almost 50% more likely to be born prematurely.

This ties into other institutional barriers to good health care for Black women which include Black women being offered less pain medication due to a misconception that they don’t experience pain the same way as White women. They are also often left with keloid scars which are a raised scars, more common on Black and dark skin. It can be avoided with the correct surgical techniques. Accusations of stereotyping by health care practitioners against Black women are also common. They often feel dismissed, assumptions are made about employment and insurance status and relationship status.

Suggestions made by the study include the practice of recording relevant race-based data during the treatment of patients in the health care system. Having an increased number of Black physicians may also help with the reductions of stereo types and discrimination.

About Deutschmann Law

Deutschmann Law serves South-Western Ontario with offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Woodstock, Brantford, Stratford and Ayr. The law practice of Robert Deutschmann focuses almost exclusively in personal injury and disability insurance matters. For more information, please visit www.deutschmannlaw.com or call us at 1-519-742-7774.

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