Presenter: Jennifer Ann Worrilow

Faculty Sponsor: Angela Bateman

School: Cape Cod Community College

Research Area: Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies

Session: Poster Session 2, 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM, Auditorium, A73

ABSTRACT

This study examines how structural racism embedded in U.S. healthcare systems contributes to racial disparities in early prenatal care and preventable miscarriage. Research consistently shows that African American women experience higher miscarriage rates than white women, particularly in the first eight weeks of pregnancy. Findings suggest that delayed or limited access to care before eight weeks of gestation increases the risk of preventable miscarriage among racially marginalized populations. Drawing on government reports and peer-reviewed research, this paper analyzes how unequal access to early prenatal care functions as a mechanism through which structural racism shapes reproductive outcomes. These disparities highlight how systemic inequities in healthcare access can produce measurable reproductive harm.