As the Biden administration’s leading advocate for reproductive rights, Vice President Kamala Harris has been outspoken about the shortcomings of U.S. reproductive healthcare and its frequent failures for women of color. Harris has traveled across the country, criticizing state abortion bans and promoting the administration’s efforts to expand postpartum coverage.
During a conversation at the Essence Festival of Culture on July 6, Harris highlighted that Black women face the highest maternal mortality rates in the country. “Black women in the United States of America are three to four times more likely to die in connection with childbirth than other women,” Harris stated at the New Orleans event. “And we know that there are a variety of reasons for that. But we also know that this is a health care crisis of the highest order that has received very little attention proportionate to the seriousness of the matter.”
Harris has previously addressed this issue, pointing out that the U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate among wealthy nations. She reiterated this claim on July 10, during a speech to Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority members in Dallas.
