A top health official in New York City faced major backlash from social media after calling white women “birthing people” while calling black and Hispanic women “mothers” in one of her tweets.
Dr. Michelle Evelyn Morse, the first Chief Medical Officer of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, posted a series of tweets last month that stirred up outrage.
Last month, Morse announced on her Twitter account the expansion of the “citywide doula program and midwifery initiative to reduce maternal and infant health inequities.”
Following her announcement, Morse posted a series of tweets including naming white women as “birthing people” while calling black and Hispanic women as “mothers.”
“The urgency of this moment is clear. Mortality rates of birthing people are too high, and babies born to Black and Puerto Rican mothers in this city are three times more likely to die in their first year of life than babies born to non-Hispanic White birthing people.”
Social media users immediately responded to Morse’s ‘racist’ tweet. One user said, “This is why people are losing faith in the medical system, racism goes both ways.”
“Stop changing our words, we are all mothers…no matter what color our skin is. We are not breeders, birthing people, or anything else. We are moms. All of us,” she added.
One user also called to revoke her license.
Another user said, “If you’re wondering why trust in the medical profession is rapidly eroding, this tweet is a great place to start.”
A DOH spokesman called Morse’s tweet an “oversight” and said “we apologize for inadvertently gendering Black and Puerto Rican birthing people,” Post reported.