Women die here too: maternal mortality as gender‐based violence in Texas

Abstract

AbstractMortality rates among Latin American women reflect the disproportionate exposure to gender‐based violence in the global south. The United States has been critical of national governments in Latin America for their response to prevent and address feminicidios, or gender‐based violence. Yet, data show that women in the United States also die at alarming rates. The United States is facing a maternal mortality problem. Evidence suggests that the maternal mortality rate in the United States is higher relative to other high‐income countries and in Texas the rate is higher than the national average. This paper has three aims. First, I contextualize my discussion of maternal mortality as structural violence within the broader discussions of feminicidios. Second, I outline how state policies in Texas that regulate access to Medicaid and target reproductive rights are a form of structural violence against women because they negatively impact maternal mortality. Finally, I conclude by noting how data visualization that more directly connects the relationship between policies and maternal mortality can expand our understanding of the different ways in which women are systematically harmed.