Choosing not to listen to and respond to the health needs of Black & brown persons is the primary driver of medical racism. Why Black W
Choosing not to listen to and respond to the health needs of Black & brown persons is the primary driver of medical racism.
Why Black Women Deserve Better in Healthcare—and in Words
Many people who have experienced medical racism—especially Black women—describe the same pattern:
“Unheard.”
“Talked over.”
“Dismissed.”
“Tossed aside.”
“Ignored.”
These are not just feelings. They’re warnings. They’re lived truths echoed across generations and around the world.
And the solutions to this long-standing global crisis?
They are not hidden.
They lie with the very people who’ve been silenced.
Center the Voices of Women Most Impacted
If we’re serious about making healthcare safe, respectful, and truly inclusive, we must do more than “listen.”
We must center the voices of the people most impacted by medical neglect and abuse.
That means:
Adult human females.
Women.
Especially Black women who have experienced pregnancy or childbirth, or will.
These women do not need to be studied from a distance.
They need to be respected, heard, and consulted first—not as an afterthought.
Let’s Not Repeat the Very Harm We Claim to Fix
As some advocate for replacing established medical terms, let us pause and reflect:
If your new language requires women—especially Black women—to shrink, to compromise, or to stay silent about what makes them uncomfortable…
That’s not inclusion.
That’s repetition.
That’s the same racism and misogyny we were supposed to be dismantling.
A Line Has Been Crossed
It should never have come to this:
That women—many of whom nearly died in childbirth—are forced to explain why they don’t want to be called “birthing bodies.”
Why they feel dehumanized by “birthing person.”
Why they flinch when language becomes gender-neutral in every context but male health care.
Let’s be honest:
Women should not have to battle for the same dignity men receive without asking.
If You Truly Respect Women, Here’s the Bare Minimum:
If women say a term harms them—stop using it.
If Black women speak up about disrespect—listen.
If you want to be an advocate for inclusion—do not erase us to do it.
Pregnancy and childbirth—even under the best conditions—require strength, sacrifice, and care.
It changes a woman’s body forever. It carries risks, responsibilities, and reverence.
Respect is the very least we’re owed.
If that’s too much for you—perhaps this is too heavy a topic for you to speak on.
Closing Truth:
“Birthing body” may sound neutral to you.
But to many women, it feels like erasure.
And erasure, wrapped in progressive language, is still harm.”
Women—all women—deserve dignity, privacy, and respect.
We deserve language that reflects our reality—not language we have to fight against while in labor.
Listen. Respect. Protect.
Anything less is not equity—it’s performance.
