Reproductive Injustice: Racism, Pregnancy, and Premature Birth

Davis (director, Ctr. for the Study of Women and Society, Graduate Ctr., City Univ. of New York; Battered Women and Welfare Reform) explores how medical racism impacts black women and their likelihood of having more premature births than other U.S. women. In order to include stories by women and families impacted by premature births, Davis observes neonatal intensive care units firsthand and conducted dozens of interviews with care providers such as nurses and midwives. The book is divided into two sections, with the first part uncovering the history of medical racism in the United States, rooted in slavery, while later chapters examine solutions to this deeply ingrained problem that still exists within the industry. The work is unique in that it is the first to focus on the subject as it relates to professional working women and provides evidence that black women across all classes still have a higher rate of premature births than other women.