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14 Harv. L. & Pol'y Rev. 393 (2019-2020)
Black Maternal Health Research Re-Envisioned: Best Practices for the Conduct of Research with, for, and by Black Mamas

handle is hein.journals/harlpolrv14 and id is 405 raw text is: 














Black Maternal Health Research Re-Envisioned:

     Best Practices for the Conduct of Research

             With, For, and By Black Mamas



          Black  Women   Scholars and  the Research Working   Group  of
                       the Black Mamas   Matter  Alliance*

         The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of a forthcoming report entitled
    Black Maternal Health Research Re-Envisioned: Recommendations for Improving
    Research on Maternity Care for Black Mamas' which provides principles that should
    underpin the ethical design of clinical, epidemiological, health services, and public health
    research, specifically, with, for, and by Black Mamas. This article supplements the research
    rubric developed by the Research Working Group of the Black Mamas Matter Alliance.
    The full report presents recommendations for improving research on maternal health out-
    comes for Black Mamas and integrates the BMAM Care Working Group's Black Paper:
    Setting the Standard for Holistic Care of and for Black Women. This article begins by
    defining the problem and the inherent assumptions necessary to determine the positionality
    of the research rubric and report. Fundamentally, we believe the conduct of research has
    historically been unethical and inhumane specif ic to Black Mamas. We then turn to histor-
    ical perspectives and the conceptual framework used to develop the research rubric. The
    framework includes Birth Justice, Reproductive Justice, Human Rights, Black Feminism,
    Womanism,  and Research Justice. Next, we synthesize the intersections of the holistic care
    report and use those principles to outline how they apply to research. Finally, we present
    the re-envisioning of research from the perspective of reproductive justice and why this
    approach is optimal in the current landscape of health services provision, law, policy, and
    science.

INTRODUCTION      .................................................       394
I.    ASSUMPTIONS AND TRANSPARENCY ........................ .396
II.   HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES ................................ .         399
      A.   Lack of Informed  Consent................................         400
      B.   Lack of Acknowledgment or Compensation .................          401
      C.   Explicit Coercion of Communities   of Color ................. 401
      D.   Criminalization  of Pregnant  People .......................      402
III.  CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORKS ............................... .404
IV.   INTERSECTION OF HOLISTIC CARE AND RESEARCH .........                   405
V. BEST PRACTICES FOR THE CONDUCT OF RESEARCH WITH,
      FOR,  AND   BY BLACK MAMAS ..............................              407
      A.   Recognize and  Respect the Rights  of Black Mamas   ..........    407


   * BMMA   Research Working Group: Angela D. Aina, Ifeyinwa V. Asiodu, Philicia Cas-
tillo, Jill Denson, Courtney Drayton, Rose Aka-James, Inas K. Mahdi, Nia Mitchell, Isabel
(Bella) Morgan, Ayanna Robinson, Karen Scott, and Caitlin R. Williams.
  Black Women  Scholars: Abigail Aiyepola, Helen Arega, Brittany D. Chambers, Joia Crear-
Perry, Ana Delgado, Kemi Doll, Nikia Grayson, Andrea V. Jackson, Zoa Julian, Cassondra
Marshall, Monica R. McLemore, Biftu Mengesha, Sayida Peprah, Jessica Roach, Lynn Rob-
erts, Hedwige (Didi) Saint Louis, Sanithia Williams, and Taida Wolfe.
   1 The term Black Mamas is inclusive of all birthing persons (e.g., cis, trans, non-binary,
queer and gender nonconforming individuals) of African descent (e.g., Afro-Latinx, African-
American, Afro-Caribbean, Black, and African Immigrants living in the United States).

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