Protecting Latina Mothers and Children: The Urgent Fight For Healthy Families

When you are pregnant, every doctor’s appointment is a tense experience of both joy and worry. Is my baby healthy? Will the doctor find any problems? Hearing the baby’s heartbeat is always a reassuring sign. But when your doctor says you have “preeclampsia,” — one of the most serious and potentially fatal reproductive conditions — your heart stops.

This happened to me when I was pregnant with my son in 2016. I was living in St. Louis, Missouri at the time, and I knew that the city had high levels of air pollution, but didn’t think this was a problem that could impact my day-to-day life. My doctor encouraged me to eat healthy and stay active, but never told me to be concerned about air quality. Now, 8 years later, I know that air pollution can contribute to preeclampsia and I can’t help but wonder if the dirty air I was breathing was part of the reason I developed this dangerous condition.

The diagnosis shocked me. Preeclampsia can cause high blood pressure, organ damage, and even death. The link between air pollution and preeclampsia is well established, yet no medical practitioner alerted me to the immediate dangers of going outside on bad air quality days. I wasn’t warned about the danger of going outside on extremely hot days, either, which makes air quality worse and can be directly risky for pregnant people. But those were both factors that could have contributed to my preeclampsia. With no available treatment but bed rest, I felt helpless and scared for my own health and my baby’s.

It’s stories like mine that led EcoMadres, a program from Moms Clean Air Force that works to protect children from air pollution and climate change, to support Congresswoman Nanette Barragán’s introduction of the Protecting Latina Moms from Extreme Heat and Air Pollution Resolution to Congress.

As a mother and an advocate, I have found that research shows time and time again that exposure to pollution and extreme heat during pregnancy can lead to a host of alarming outcomes, including low birth weight, compromised immune system development, and long-term health issues such as asthma and high blood pressure.

While the threat of air pollution and extreme heat looms over all expectant mothers, it’s the Latino communities that bear the brunt. Latinos in the U.S. are disproportionately represented in outdoor jobs, and many Hispanic mothers, due to economic disparities and the legacy of redlining, live in areas that are either heavily polluted or excessively hot. Yet, mothers and mothers-to-be are often unaware of the devastating toll that climate impacts can take on our health and that of our children and future generations.

This resolution is the first step toward bridging that gap. It calls on the U.S. Congress to acknowledge the imminent danger that air pollution and extreme heat pose to maternal and infant health and to implement measures that keep moms and babies healthy and safe.

Endorsed by the National Hispanic Health Foundation, National Hispanic Medical Association, National Alliance of Farmworker Women, American Medical Women’s Association, and other esteemed organizations, the resolution underscores the importance of climate action for the health of Latina mothers and their children. It also ignites optimism for a healthier future for mothers and children everywhere.

My son was born through a scheduled c-section 4 weeks early to protect his and my health. Today, we are both thriving. But we are still living in a world where climate threats to health exist at almost every turn–and where preeclampsia is on the rise.

We encourage you to stand with us as we fight for healthier families. Call on your U.S. Representative to support the Protecting Latina Moms from Extreme Heat and Air Pollution resolution today. Your voice can make a difference in ensuring a healthier future for mothers and children everywhere.

(*) Luz Drada is a Program Coordinator for Moms Clean Air Force and EcoMadres.

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