Equality and justice are among the values on which the American nation was founded. The nation strives to uphold these values. However, despite its best efforts, inequality and justice are some of the challenges that confront the US today. There are glaring inequalities in such issues as criminal justice, law enforcement and access to services like education and healthcare. There are some states that are leading the nation in tackling these inequalities. Massachusetts is one such state. Through bill S.1334, the legislators in this state are aiming to tackle inequalities in maternal health. The enactment and enforcement of this bill will inch the state closer to eradicating racial disparities.
Purpose of Bill
It has been stated above that the purpose of bill S.1334 is to tackle inequalities in health. In particular, the bill is aimed at eliminating racial inequalities in maternal health (Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 2019). One of the specific goals of the bill is to ensure that no new mother dies needlessly on account of their race. This bill is clearly a response to the inequalities that exist in the state and across the country. It is well known that minorities lack adequate access to healthcare (Fiscella & Sanders, 2016; Chen et al., 2016). Additionally, the level of lack of insurance within these communities is disproportionately high (Sohn, 2017). Racial disparities can also be seen in the attitudes of medical professionals. Concerns have been raised that practitioners tend to hold negative attitudes and stereotypes regarding African Americans and other minorities (Hall et al., 2015; Priest et al., 2018; Fitzgerald & Hurst, 2017). Given this state of affairs, it is little wonder that racial minorities continue to report poor health outcomes. Within these communities, prevalence of preventable infections is higher (Biello et al., 2010; DiMeglio et al., 2018). Moreover, more maternal deaths are reported among minority communities. Bill S.1334 is basically a desperately needed resource in the effort to eradicate racial disparities in maternal health.
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Support for Bill
There is no doubt that the motive underlying bill S.1334 is indeed noble. As already stated above, this bill aims to address racial disparities. Given this purpose, the bill is likely to receive the support and endorsement of various stakeholders. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is among the organizations that can be expected to support the bill. This is because the purpose of the bill echoes the values and code of ethics that guide the operations of this organization. Through its code of ethics, the NASW challenges it members to become passionate advocates for such values as social justice, service, dignity, integrity and competence (NASW, n.d). All these values relate directly to bill S.1334. For example, this bill seeks to preserve the dignity of minority women who endure limited access to affordable and high quality care. Basically, addressing racial inequalities is a question of protecting human dignity. Additionally, this bill tackles a social justice issue. It aims to restore equality in maternal health. The NASW is also committed to promoting diversity. Bill S.1334 pursues a similar objective as it seeks to make maternal healthcare more equal and fair.
In conclusion, it is unacceptable that despite its industrialized status, the US is still unequal. Minority ethnic and racial communities lack access to a variety of essential services. the disparities are most evident in the country’s healthcare system. This system fails minority mothers who endure limited access and poor services. Through bill S.1334, Massachusetts aims to restore the dignity of these women. Given that the bill aims to make the state more equal in the delivery of healthcare services, all stakeholders who understand the need for equality and social justice should fully support the bill.
References
Biello, K. B., Rawlings, J., Carroll-Scott, A., Browne, R., & Ickovics, J. R. (2010). Racial disparities in age at preventable hospitalization among U.S. adults. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 38 (1), 54-60.
Chen, J., Vargas-Bustamante, A., Mortensen, K., Ortega, A. (2016). Racial and ethnic disparities in health care access and utilization under the Affordable Care Act. Medical Care, 54 (2), 140-6.
Commonwealth of Massachusetts. (2019). Senate No. 1334. 19 th General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved September 20, 2019 from https://malegislature.gov/Bills/191/S1334.pdf
DiMeglio, M., Dubensky, J., Schadt, S., Potdar, R., & Laudanski, K. (2018). Factors underlying racial disparities in sepsis management. Healthcare, 6 (4), 133.
Fiscella, K., & Sanders, M. R. (2016). Racial and ethnic disparities in the quality of care. Annual Review of Public Health, 37, 375-96.
Fitzgerald, C., & Hurst, S. (2017). Implicit bias in healthcare professionals: a systematic review. BMC Medical Ethics, 18 (19). doi: 10.1186/s12910-017-0179-8
Hall, W. J., Chapman, M. V., Lee, K. M. et al. (2015). Implicit racial/ethnic bias among health care professionals and its influence on health care outcomes: a systematic review. American Journal of Public Health, 105 (12), e60-e76.
National Association of Social Workers (NASW). Code of ethics. University of Alaska Fairbanks. Retrieved September 20, 2019 from https://www.uaf.edu/socwork/student-information/checklist/(D)-NASW-Code-of-Ethics.pdf
Priest, N., Slopen, N., Woolford, S., Philip, J. T., Singer, D., Kaufmann, A. D., Mosely, K., Davis, M., Ransome, Y., & Williams, D. (2018). Stereotyping across intersections of race and age: Racial stereotyping among White adults working with children. Plos One. doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0201696
Sohn, H. (2017). Racial and ethnic disparities in health insurance coverage: dynamics of gaining and losing coverage over the life-course. Population Research and Policy Review, 36 (2), 181-201.
