On Friday, January 2, 2026, Dr. Janelle Green Smith died from complications during the birth of her first child in South Carolina. Dr. Green Smith was a Black midwife, an esteemed Doctor of Nursing Practice, and an advocate for maternal health and midwifery. Dr. Green Smith’s death joins the many who have fallen victim to the Black maternal health crisis in the United States. She suffered at the hands of the same system she worked tirelessly to reform.
In addition to being a certified midwife and nurse in the state, Dr. Green Smith worked with the Hive Impact Fund, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting “parents during early childhood by offering, with dignity, tangible resources and accessible education to ease stress and strengthen families” through low-cost mental health services.
As an advocate, Dr. Green Smith “wanted to be a part of the solution” in health care by truly listening to the needs and concerns of her patients. Dr. Green Smith would go above and beyond to ensure her patients were comfortable and supported through pregnancy, labor, and into their next steps as parents. Despite all of her efforts rooted in patient-centered care, the Black maternal health crisis did not bypass the life of the midwife.
In a statement responding to the doctor’s death, the National Black Nurses Association, noted that “Black women, regardless of education, professional expertise, or proximity to healthcare, remain at disproportionate risk during pregnancy and childbirth due to systemic failures in care.” This reality is not new. Historically, the narrative was pushed that Black women do not feel pain and they have been used as experimental bodies, especially in modern gynecology.
In an updated 2023 report, 18.6% of maternal deaths were among Black women, which is significantly higher than among white women (14.5%), Asian women (10.7%), and Hispanic women (12.4%). Additionally, recent research shows that Black women are still three times as likely to experience pregnancy-related deaths as white women.
Even though 80% of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. are preventable, many of these deaths are impacted by inequities in health care and access. With the current administration, there have been significant cuts to and closures of many essential departments in the medical field. These cuts have impacted the Division of Reproductive Health, which has been responsible for issuing guidelines for providing contraceptives to sickle cell patients, who are at increased risk of pregnancy complications, the closure of the Pregnancy Risk Monitoring System (PRAMS), which is responsible for reporting and measuring the progress of health care for pregnant women and infants, and cuts to Medicaid and Medicare funding for reproductive health services. These cuts have only magnified this crisis.
As we mourn the life of Dr. Green Smith, the United States must recognize that more deaths like this will continue unless we make the necessary reforms to our healthcare system. Health care should be equitable, accessible, and patient-centered. As Dr. Green Smith prioritized listening to her patients and refrained from relying solely on her expertise, we urge the government to do the same. Now is the time to stop further cuts to lifesaving programs that protect and prevent further damage from the crisis; it is now the time to advocate for change.
