Black Maternal Health in South Carolina Needs Our Attention
Black Maternal Health Week is a time to raise awareness and amplify voices, but in South Carolina, this crisis is urgent year-round. Black women in our state are nearly four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes, and our maternal mortality rate ranks among the highest in the nation, with stark racial disparities. These inequities begin at birth: while the overall infant mortality rate is high, Black infants face even greater risk.
Access to maternal healthcare often depends on where you live and what you can afford. Rural communities lack hospitals, OB-GYNs, and birthing facilities, while gaps in insurance and limited access to doulas, midwives, and postpartum care leave many families without support. Structural racism, underfunded systems, and limited community-based care contribute to these disparities, putting Black mothers at far greater risk.
The solutions are clear: expanding postpartum coverage, investing in community-based care, increasing access to doulas and midwives, and strengthening healthcare systems in underserved areas. What’s missing isn’t strategy, it’s commitment. Our Status of Women and Girls reports break down maternal and infant health outcomes at the county level, highlighting exactly where gaps exist and where change is needed most.
Black Maternal Health Week exists because Black mothers have too often been ignored in the systems meant to protect them. Organizations like the BLK Maternal Health Collective are leading the way in South Carolina, advocating for better care, stronger systems, and real accountability. Their work reminds us that the people closest to the problem are closest to the solution.
Black maternal health is a policy issue, and policy only changes when people speak up. This week, don’t just raise awareness: explore your county’s data, support the work already happening in communities, and use your voice to advocate for solutions that save lives. Every mother deserves to be heard, supported, and safe no matter where she lives.