Some studies show the rate of premature births of Latinx children has risen since Trump became president.
Trinity Campos was in labor for four days before giving birth to Aria prematurely. Her baby was the most perfect thing Trinity had seen, but Aria was born with her intestines outside of her stomach and needed surgery immediately. Aria was in the neonatal intensive care unit for a whole month.
Now, she’s a “sassy, healthy and intelligent” almost 5-year-old girl 👧🏻 But not every preemie baby’s story has a happy ending. Premature births can lead to chronic health issues, vision and hearing problems or impaired learning.
One study shows that the nine months after Trump was elected president, there were 2,337 more preterm births to Latinas than expected. Another study in New York revealed an increase in the overall preterm birth rate, with the highest numbers coming from Latinas.
This unfortunate trend may be because mothers and children are especially vulnerable to psychosocial stress. The results of these studies suggest that political campaigns, harmful rhetoric and damaging policies can contribute to increased levels of Latino preterm births, which could result in negative lifelong effects for our children.
