The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the Eternal Leader of the Nation of Islam, gave Black people the program for our independence and survival—Do For Self. Part of the vision of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad was and is for us to have our own hospitals where Black doctors and medical professionals who truly love and care for Black people can treat us with the dignity we deserve.
The history of medical malpractice that Black folks have been subjected to and suffered since the founding of this country confirms the need for our own hospitals and clinics, particularly when it comes to bringing new life into this world.
The pending birth of a new baby often fills expectant parents and families with excitement, joy, and nervous anticipation. But unfortunately, for more and more Black women, the experience can be dangerous, traumatic and life-threatening.
The United States is only ranked 55th in the world for maternal health among so-called developed nations, according to the World Health Organization. And, for Black women, the maternal mortality rate in America is cause for real concern. According to multiple sources, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than White women.
The American Society of Anesthesiologists reported in 2022 that “Black women have a 53% increased risk of dying in the hospital during childbirth, no matter their income level, type of insurance or other social determinants of health, suggesting systemic racism seriously impacts maternal health, according to an 11-year analysis of more than 9 million deliveries in U.S. hospitals.”
While there are several factors that play a role in the disproportionate mortality rates of pregnant Black women, a glaring factor remains “race.” Racial stereotypes and racism are significant factors when it comes to how pregnant sisters are treated compared to White women. The treatment, or rather the mistreatment, of pregnant Black women in U.S. hospitals is just further evidence that medical apartheid is in full effect.
Black women often have their symptoms and pain ignored or disregarded. Recently, two disturbing stories about pregnant Black women being mistreated and disregarded at U.S. hospitals show this reality has sadly not changed.
In November, Mercedes and Leon Wells of Illinois were reportedly forced to deliver their baby girl in their vehicle by the side of the road after they allege they were removed from the hospital by security, though Mrs. Wells was experiencing contractions. The couple went to a hospital in Crown Point, Indiana, which is about an hour from Chicago. They were there for six hours but were sent home by a nurse without seeing a doctor. A nurse initially checked her but, according to Ms. Wells, she was told she was not sufficiently dilated. “I began walking through the halls and everyone on staff sees me in agony and pain. They see that I’m in active labor. The nurse said I wasn’t in active labor and the doctor never came into my room. I never heard from a doctor. Not one time,” Mrs. Wells said in an interview with journalist Roland Martin. The Wells have three other children.
After they left the hospital, Mrs. Wells gave birth approximately 8 minutes later, with the help of her husband. They drove 30 minutes to another hospital as they were afraid the ambulance would take them back to the hospital where they had been mistreated.
In another recent case in Texas, a viral video shows a pregnant Black woman at a Dallas-area hospital in excruciating pain, writhing around in a wheelchair while a White nurse repeatedly asks her questions instead of rendering aid. The video was reportedly filmed by the woman’s mother, who can be heard asking the nurse, “Y’all treat all your patients like this, or just the Black ones?”
According to the Dallas Morning News, the woman’s mother posted on social media stating that the hospital “made her daughter wait in the emergency room for more than 30 minutes while in active and obvious labor. According to the post, the woman gave birth 12 minutes later.”
In both cases, both women gave birth to healthy babies, but the humiliation of what they were forced to endure was traumatizing. And unfortunately, there are plenty of other cases where the outcome for the mother and/or the baby has not been good news. However, in America’s healthcare system, this treatment of pregnant Black women is “business as usual.”
A 2019 University of Miami Race & Social Justice Law Review article, titled “The Impact of Racism on Maternal Health Outcomes For Black Women,” Vol. 10 Issue 1, states, “Conscious and unconscious biases are prevalent throughout the medical system, and they significantly impact how medical professionals perceive and respond to Black patients’ pain. Further, limited diversity in the medical profession leads to culturally inappropriate treatment and contributes to feelings of isolation among Black women during medical treatment.”
In The Muslim Program of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, which can be found on the inside back page of The Final Call, under “What The Muslims Believe,” it states: “WE BELIEVE our women should be respected and protected as the women of other nationalities are respected and protected.”
However, that respect and protection are much more challenging to achieve when we are forced to be in the care of those who do not respect, protect or value our lives or the lives of our children.
The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan have consistently warned Black people that we must separate from our open enemy. In His book, “Message To The Blackman In America,” on page 170 in the chapter titled, “Program and Position,” the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad writes, “We must stop relying upon the White man to care for us. We must become an independent people.” Later in that same chapter, He writes: “Build your own homes, schools, hospitals and factories.”
We have Black physicians of various specialties, nurses, medical technicians, physician assistants and health practitioners who are doing a wonderful job of healing and helping people. And plenty of data show that Black patients have better outcomes with Black doctors and medical staff.
The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad already declared that we have the qualified Black men and women for self-government. This includes the ability to have our own clinics and hospitals. With that being said, we must work diligently with each other to unite so that our people are not at the mercy of those who wish to do us harm. The time is upon us, as it is literally a matter of life or death.
The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad stated on page 226 of “Message To The Blackman In America,” “The spirit of ‘doing for self’ is now fast coming into our people.” The question we must ask ourselves is, “Are we ready to do the work?”