"U.S. immigration enforcement is taking a toll on Dr. Daisy León-Martínez's patients. The California OB-GYN primarily cares for Latina-identifying pregnant people and those with a Spanish-language preference. In the months since President Donald Trump began his mass deportation campaign, some of her patients' partners have been detained by immigration officials or were removed from the country, she said. Others have left their jobs out of fear of being identified. Some are too scared to travel to essential prenatal and specialist appointments."
"Stress is bad for human health, and that's particularly true during pregnancy. As the Trump administration's immigration enforcement raids continue to expand to include both new cities and more violent tactics, medical providers and public health experts are growing more concerned about maternal "weathering" - the increasingly supported theory that the chronic stress from discrimination causes health decline."
Patients are exhibiting warning signs including high blood pressure and deteriorating mental health. Immigration enforcement and deportation actions have led to partner detention or removal, job loss from fear of identification, and avoidance of prenatal and specialist appointments. Fear of leaving home generates chronic stress that can harm health, especially during pregnancy. Maternal "weathering" describes how chronic stress from discrimination contributes to physiological decline. Delays in or avoidance of essential prenatal and birthing care combined with chronic stress increase the likelihood of complications for pregnant people and developing fetuses before, during, and after birth. Expanded raids and more violent tactics exacerbate these risks.
Read at Truthout
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]