March, 15 2010, 03:14pm EDT
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Racial Discrimination and Economic Obstacles Contribute to Dramatically Elevated Maternal Death Rates for Women of Color in the United States, Says a New Amnesty International Report
African-American women are four times more likely than white women to die from childbirth-related complications.
WASHINGTON
A new report from Amnesty International reveals that
African-American women are nearly four times more likely to die of
pregnancy-related complications than white women. In high-risk
pregnancies, the disparities are even greater; African-American women are five
and a half times more likely to die than white women.
The report, Deadly
Delivery: the Maternal Health Care Crisis in the USA, faults
discrimination, a lack of nationally enforced standards and barriers to
adequate maternal care as contributing to the high death rate among women of
color giving birth. Women living in poverty and those who speak little or no
English face additional barriers to quality maternal care, resulting in missed
opportunities to save women's lives and reduce complications.
Inamarie Stith-Rouse, 33, who was African-American,
died in a Boston hospital after delivering a healthy baby girl
following an emergency c-section. Her husband Andre said he tried telling staff
that his wife was in distress and struggling to breathe after surgery, but he
said he was told it was "no big deal" and the couple was "too
emotional." Hours went by before appropriate tests showed she was
hemorrhaging. It was too late. Inamarie went into a coma and died four
days later. Andre Rouse felt race played a part in the hospital staff's immediate
lack of response.
Two to three women die every day in the United States from pregnancy-related
complications, according to the Centers for Disease Control, and half of these
deaths are preventable.
More than 34,000 women nearly die
each year due to flaws and shocking disparities in maternal health care. These
severe pregnancy-related complications that nearly cause death have increased
by 25 percent since 1998.
Authorities concede that haphazard reporting means maternal death statistics
could be twice as high as officially reported.
"This country's extraordinary record of medical
advancement makes its haphazard approach to maternal care all the more
scandalous and disgraceful," said Larry Cox, executive director of
Amnesty International USA. "Women should not die in the richest country on earth from preventable
complications and emergencies."
Maternity care advocates and practitioners confirm the
findings in AI's report. "In the 20 years I've been in this country,
the racial disparity has not improved. I cannot comprehend how such a stark
racial disparity could even exist in a country like this," said Jennie
Joseph, a U.K.-trained midwife who founded the Easy Access Prenatal Care
Clinic, an outreach maternity clinic in West Orlando, FL; the outreach clinic
clientele is 50 to 60% African American.
The report
includes these key findings:
-
l Women of color account for 32
percent of all women in the United States but more than half (51 percent) of uninsured women;
this means they are more likely to go into pregnancy with less than optimum
health or untreated medical problems. (State data available.) -
l Women who do not receive any
prenatal care are three to four times more likely to die than women who do.
African-American and Latina
women are two and a half times and Native American women are three and a half
times more likely than white women to receive late or no prenatal care. (State
data available.) -
Burdensome
bureaucratic procedures in Medicaid enrollment delay access to prenatal
care. Twenty-one states do not currently allow pregnant women to
temporarily access medical care while their permanent application for Medicaid
is pending. -
l In rural areas and inner cities
there is a critical shortage of health care professionals. In 2008, 64 million
people were living in "shortage areas" for primary care, but
federally-supported community health centers-a critical safety
net-were available in only 20 percent of these areas. (State data available.) -
Caesarian sections make up nearly
one-third of all deliveries in the United States-twice as high as recommended by the World Health
Organization. African American women have the highest c-section rate of any
group. The risk of death following c-sections is more than three times higher
than for vaginal births.
Comprehensive, Consistent Approach Needed
to Maternal Care
The Amnesty International report calls for a coordinated,
comprehensive and consistent approach to maternal care, from family planning to
post-partum care, to fix a system that is failing so many women.
Because there is no systematic, robust government response
to this critical problem, Amnesty International is urging the government to
establish a single office within the Department of Health and Human Services
responsible for ensuring that all women receive quality maternal care.
Other recommendations include:
-
l An increase in support for
federally qualified health centers by 2011 to expand the number of women who
can access affordable maternal health care -
l Vigorous enforcement of federal
non-discrimination laws -
l Ensure access to timely prenatal
care for all women -
l Encouraging home care visits during the first weeks
following birth -
l Protocols to prevent and respond to the leading
complications that cause pregnancy-related death
Respect for human rights requires the recognition that everyone
has the right to live in dignity, and the right to food, shelter, water, basic
health care and education. For more information about Amnesty International's
"Demand Dignity" campaign, please visit: https://www.amnestyusa.org/demand-dignity/
Amnesty International is a global movement of millions of people demanding human rights for all people - no matter who they are or where they are. We are the world's largest grassroots human rights organization.
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'Tragic Outcome' for Gig Workers as California Supreme Court Hands Win to Uber, DoorDash
"Today's ruling only strengthens our demand for the right to join together in a union so that we can begin improving the gig economy for workers and our customers," the case plaintiff said.
Jul 25, 2024
Labor advocates on Thursday decried a ruling by the California Supreme Court upholding a lower court's affirmation of a state ballot measure allowing app-based ride and delivery companies to classify their drivers as independent contractors, limiting their worker rights.
The court's seven justices ruled unanimously in Castellanos v. State of California that Proposition 22, which was approved by 58% of California voters in 2020, complies with the state constitution. Prop 22—which was overturned in 2021 by an Alameda County Superior Court judge in 2021—was upheld in March 2023 by the state's 1st District Court of Appeals.
The business models of app-based companies including DoorDash, Instacart, Lyft, and Uber rely upon minimizing frontline worker compensation by categorizing drivers as independent contractors instead of employees. Independent contractors are not entitled to unemployment insurance, health insurance, or compensation for business expenses.
There are approximately 1.4 million app-based gig workers in California, according to industry estimates.
While DoorDash hailed Thursday's ruling as "not only a victory for Dashers, but also for democracy itself," gig worker advocates condemned the decision.
"Over the last three years, gig workers across California have experienced firsthand that Prop 22 is nothing more than a bait-and-switch meant to enrich global corporations at the expense of the Black, brown, and immigrant workers who power their earnings," plaintiff Hector Castellanos, who drives for Uber and Lyft, said in a statement.
"Prop 22 has allowed gig companies like Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash to deprive us of a living wage, access to workers compensation, paid sick leave, and meaningful healthcare coverage," Castellanos added. "Today's ruling only strengthens our demand for the right to join together in a union so that we can begin improving the gig economy for workers and our customers."
Lorena Gonzalez, president of the California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO, said that "we are deeply disappointed that the state Supreme Court has allowed tech corporations to buy their way out of basic labor laws despite Proposition 22's inconsistencies with our state constitution."
"These companies have upended our social contract, forcing workers and the public to take on the inherent risk created by this work, while they profit," she continued. "A.B. 5 granted virtually all California workers the right to be paid for all hours worked, health and safety standards, unemployment insurance, workers compensation, and the right to organize."
"Rideshare and delivery drivers deserve those rights as well," Gonzalez stressed.
The Gig Workers Rising campaign said on social media that "Uber and other app corporations spent $220 million to buy this law, and they did it by tricking Californians."
Prop 22's passage in November 2020 with nearly 59% of the vote was the culmination of what was by far the most expensive ballot measure in California history. App-based companies and their backers outspent labor and progressive groups by more than 10 to 1, with proponents pouring a staggering $204.5 million into the "yes" campaign's coffers against just $19 million for the "no" side.
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"If Uber really cared about good benefits and fair wages, it could make that happen tomorrow," the campaign added. "Instead, it has shown it would rather slash pay, bamboozle voters, and put drivers' lives and livelihoods in danger—all while promising $7 billion in stock buybacks to banks and billionaires."
Veena Dubal, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine who focuses on labor and inequality, toldCalMatters that Thursday's ruling was "a really tragic outcome," but "it's not the end of the road."
Dubal's sentiment was echoed by some California state legislators, who said the ruling presents an opportunity to act.
"While this decision is frustrating, it must also be motivating," said state Senate Labor Committee Chair Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-28). "I'm more determined than ever to ensure that all workers—including our diverse and Black, Indigenous, and people of color-led gig workforce—have the basic protections of workers compensation, paid sick leave, family leave, disability insurance, and the right to form a union."
Prop 22 has served as a template for lawmakers in other states seeking to deny or limit basic worker rights, benefits, and protections.
In Massachusetts, app-based companies have been fighting for years to get a measure to classify drivers as contractors on the state ballot. In 2022, Lyft made the largest political donation in state history—$14.4 million—to a coalition funding one such proposal.
Last month, Uber and Lyft reached an agreement with the office of Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell, a Democrat, to pay $175 million to settle a lawsuit filed in 2020. As part of the deal, the companies also agreed to increase driver pay and provide paid sick leave, accident insurance, and some health benefits. The agreement does not address how app-based gig workers should be classified.
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Jul 25, 2024
Four youth-led groups on Thursday urged Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, to "fight for our future" by pursuing a policy agenda the coalition unveiled in a March letter to U.S. President Joe Biden.
It's been less than a week since Biden left the race and endorsed Harris, who is expected to face former Republican Donald Trump and his running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), in the November election. Since then, she's racked up endorsements from Democratic members of Congress and progressive groups focused on issues including climate, labor, and reproductive rights.
March for Our Lives, which was launched after the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, honored Harris with the group's first-ever endorsement on Wednesday, calling her "the right person to stand up for us and fight for the country we deserve."
"To defeat Trump, you must rebuild support and enthusiasm among young voters."
The gun violence prevention organization is part of the youth-led coalition behind the new letter, which also includes the climate-focused Sunrise Movement; Gen-Z for Change, which advocates on a range of issues; and the national immigrant network United We Dream Action.
"You have an urgent and important task. To defeat Trump, you must rebuild support and enthusiasm among young voters," the coalition told Harris on Thursday, noting that she sought the Democratic nomination during the last cycle. "You should build on your 2020 campaign platform where you put forward a strong vision to make the economy work for everyday people and ensure a livable future for us all."
The groups urged Harris to support the Green New Deal, Medicare for All, and the Reverse Mass Incarceration Act. They pushed her to expand pathways to citizenship, keep families together, end fossil fuel subsidies, and create good, union jobs. They also called on her to prioritize gun violence prevention and investments in public health solutions and green, affordable housing.
"Democrats are at a critical crossroads with young people," the coalition wrote to Harris on Thursday. "Polls showed Biden and Trump neck-and-neck among young voters."
ANew York Times/Siena College poll conducted July 22-24 shows Trump leading Harris 48% to 47% among likely voters and 48% to 46% among registered voters—differences that fall within the margin of error.
Forbesnoted Thursday that "Democrats are far more enthusiastic about Harris than they were Biden, the Times/Siena survey found, with nearly 80% of voters who lean Democrat saying they would like Harris to be the nominee, compared to 48% of Democrats who said the same about Biden three weeks ago."
The outlet also pointed to two other polls conducted by Morning Consult and Reuters/Ipsos since Biden dropped out, which both show Harris with a narrow lead over Trump.
"You have an opportunity to win the youth vote by turning the page and differentiating yourself from Biden policies that are deeply unpopular with us, such as approving new oil and gas projects, denying people their right to seek refuge and asylum, and funding the Israeli government's killing of civilians in Gaza," the youth coalition highlighted Thursday. "You must speak to the economic pain young people are facing from crushing student debt and skyrocketing housing and food prices."
Looking beyond November, the groups told Harris—who could be the first Black woman and person of Asian descent elected to the country's highest office—that "you could be a historic president. Not just because of who you are, but what you can accomplish."
"Young people are energized and ready to organize against fascism and for the future we deserve," they concluded. "This is your chance to energize young people and our communities to vote, mount one of the greatest political comebacks in decades, and deliver a resounding defeat to the far-right agenda of Trump and Vance."
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"The video game industry generates billions of dollars in profit annually," said one union leader. "The driving force behind that success is the creative people who design and create those games."
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After nearly two years of negotiations with video game giants and no deal that would protect performers from artificial intelligence, unionized voice and motion capture actors who work in video game development announced Thursday that they will go on strike starting at 12:01 am on Friday, July 26.
The performers are represented by Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), which last year won a contract for TV and film actors that included "unprecedented provisions for consent and compensation that will protect members from the threat of AI," after the union went on strike for four months.
The union has been negotiating on behalf of video game actors with major production companies including Disney Character Voices Inc., Activision Productions Inc., and WB Games Inc., and has won concessions over wages and job safety—but "AI protections remain the sticking point," said SAG-AFTRA on Thursday as the impending strike was announced.
Unionized actors want protections that would stop video game companies from training AI to replicate actors' voices or likeness without their consent and without compensating them.
"The video game industry generates billions of dollars in profit annually," said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, national executive director and chief negotiator for SAG-AFTRA. "The driving force behind that success is the creative people who design and create those games. That includes the SAG-AFTRA members who bring memorable and beloved game characters to life, and they deserve and demand the same fundamental protections as performers in film, television, streaming, and music: fair compensation and the right of informed consent for the AI use of their faces, voices, and bodies."
"Frankly, it's stunning that these video game studios haven't learned anything from the lessons of last year—that our members can and will stand up and demand fair and equitable treatment with respect to AI, and the public supports us in that," he added.
Sarah Elmaleh, negotiating committee chair for the union's interactive media agreement, said the negotiations have shown the companies "are not interested in fair, reasonable AI protections, but rather flagrant exploitation."
"We look forward to collaborating with teams on our interim and independent contracts, which provide AI transparency, consent, and compensation to all performers, and to continuing to negotiate in good faith with this bargaining group when they are ready to join us in the world we all deserve," said Elmaleh.
The unionized actors voted in favor of the strike authorization with a 98.32% yes vote, said SAG-AFTRA.
The strike was announced as more than 500 workers who help develop the popular World of Warcraft video game franchise voted to join the Communications Workers of America (CWA), with the games publisher, Blizzard Entertainment, recognizing the bargaining unit.
CWA noted that the workers' journey to union representation began with a walkout in 2021 at Activision Blizzard, which was later bought by Microsoft, over sexual harassment and discrimination.
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