In the U.S., a new report tracking nearly one million births in New Jersey found doctors are far more likely to submit Black birthing patients for Cesarean sections over white patients with similar medical histories.
The study, published in the National Bureau of Economic Research, found unplanned C-sections on Black patients are more likely to happen when hospital surgery rooms were empty, suggesting a financial motivation since surgical births result in higher medical bills.
In other news, Harvard University has revealed that the percentage of incoming students who identify as African American or Black dropped to 14% this year, after the Supreme Court rolled back affirmative action at college campuses. That’s down from 18% the prior year.
Brown, MIT and Amherst also reported dips in Black enrollment, although other universities including Princeton and Yale did not notice significant changes.
Analysts say it could take a while to understand the full effect of the Supreme Court’s ruling, which effectively ended affirmative action and was widely condemned by colleges and civil rights groups.
