Childbirth complications are now more common than ever despite incredible medical advances all over the world. An extensive analysis concluded 1 in 7 hospitals have doubled the rates of childbirth complications and deaths due to a host of reasons, primarily because of misdiagnosis, delayed care, and a failure to follow safety practices. The USA Today study uncovered the shocking statistics: 700 women die in childbirth and 50,000 sustain maternal injuries every year. Despite the numbers, hospitals continue to ignore this data and offer defensive responses which fail to address the root of the issue at all, instead choosing to ignore questions and insult patients for their economic, racial, and lifestyle backgrounds. The study also revealed there are 120 repeat offender hospitals which have an alarmingly high rate of maternal deaths yet these hospitals do not share any distinctions, as they are all of different sizes and locations across the United States. Regardless of misconceptions and false narratives output by hospitals over the years, maternal deaths and injuries are almost always based on issues within their control. Relinquishing themselves of responsibility and shifting blame to the suffering mothers is an irresponsible and unforgivable misdirection. In the past, hospitals have tried to modify the conversation surrounding maternal death and childbirth injury by transferring the focus onto the mother’s pre-existing conditions or matters like poverty. There is undeniably an element of racism when examining this issue. As hospitals tend to blame mothers for their health conditions and black women are more likely to have concerns such as hypertension or other blood disorders, there needs to be a discussion about the disproportionate rates regarding maternal death. Says Elizabeth Dawes Gay, a women’s health and racial justice advocate: “It’s a valid point, but it’s not a point that hospitals can use to simply not do better. They also have to be willing to change, to look at their practices, their policies, their providers and ask: Where are we failing women?”
Maternal Death Attorneys Fighting to Correct Injustice
Williams DeClark Tuschman Co., L.P.A. is always on the side of the individual. We cannot begin to understand the unimaginable grief and trauma for families dealing with the aftermath of a childbirth injury or death, but the best we can do is seek to discover the truth and hold hospitals or medical professionals responsible for their negligence, recklessness, and misconduct. If you or a loved one has been harmed during childbirth, you have rights. Let us fight for you. Would you like to speak to a compassionate and results-driven personal injury lawyer from our firm? Call (419) 719-5195 to reach a trusted member of our Toledo legal team.