When Jamarah Amani was in labor at a Georgia hospital, she fought with medical staff over her delivery preferences — a harrowing experience during which she recalled a nurse saying her birthing choices would “kill the baby.” After delivering her second child and after enduring that conflict with the medical team, the mother of four […]
Maternal Health
Posted inMaternal Health, Reproductive Health
Georgia Case Spotlights Rising Risks for Black Women Navigating Pregnancy Care
In March, a Black Georgia woman who allegedly took abortion pills to terminate her pregnancy, was charged with murder, a legal move that advocates have been sounding the alarm about since Georgia enacted one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country. Alexia Moore, 31, was charged with malice murder as well as possession […]
Posted inMaternal Health
Police Escorted Doulas Out of Atlanta Hospital During Black Mother’s Labor
When a pregnant Georgia woman went into labor earlier this month, she planned for the two doulas she hired to stand beside her as she gave birth. Instead, those doulas say, security officers and county police escorted them out of the hospital while their client was in active labor, despite her repeated requests that they […]
Posted inMaternal Health, Politics & Policy, Reproductive Health
Oscar-Nominated Doc Brings to Light Families’ Loss Under Georgia Abortion Law
If Amber Nicole Thurman were alive today, the 28-year-old would most likely have become a nurse. “She would never know that she got accepted into nursing school because August the 19th was the end of her life, and August the 21st I got the call that she was accepted into nursing school,” said Thurman’s mother, […]
Posted inCommunity, Maternal Health, Mental Health
This Nurse’s Tiny House Clinic Is Reimagining Black Mental Health Care
In a state where mental health care access can be limited, especially for Black communities, one nurse is serving Black Atlantans in an unconventional way – by running a clinic on wheels. Psychiatric nurse practitioner Joanne Patterson launched a virtual practice in 2019 and served over 6,000 patients during the past six years. But after […]
Posted inMaternal Health
Proposed ‘Adriana’s Law’ Would Override Georgia’s Abortion Ban
Over the weekend, 30-year-old Adriana Smith was finally laid to rest after months on life support. Family and friends celebrated the young mother’s life at Fairfield Baptist Church in Lithonia by sharing memories of Smith’s kind spirit, while also expressing concerns about the circumstances surrounding her medical care. “It’s awful what’s happened to this family,” […]
Posted inMaternal Health
Why This Black Man Became a Doula: ‘Every Death Was Preventable’
While many doulas are women, one man is working to change the narrative about who can support families during childbirth. Sylvester Pierce, 44, operates a doula business called Younity Birthwork, where he provides services ranging from childbirth education, postpartum care, and more. “Doulas are there for the emotional, spiritual, and physical support of birthing parents. […]
Posted inHealth, Maternal Health, Politics & Policy
Mourners Attend Adriana Smith’s Funeral and Call Out Georgia Abortion Ban
After several months of controversy, the brain-dead woman, who leaves behind two children, was laid to rest in Lithonia.
Posted inCourts, Maternal Health
Botched Delivery, Decapitated Baby: Parents Awarded $2.5M After Doctor Posted Video
A young Georgia couple thought they already experienced the worst pain imaginable when they lost their first child, Treveon Isaiah Taylor Jr., who died during delivery in 2023. The delivery of the couple’s son made headlines across the country after it was revealed that the baby was decapitated during delivery. Then Dr. Jackson Gates, the […]
Posted inHealth, Maternal Health, Politics & Policy
Baby Born to Brain-Dead Woman Spurs Nikema Williams’ Push against Abortion Law
Adriana Smith, the Georgia woman declared brain-dead in February and then kept on life support, has a new son. Chance, weighing just 1 pound and 13 ounces, arrived June 13. Smith’s family announced she was taken off life support on Tuesday. In the wake of the controversy surrounding Smith’s complex situation, U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams […]