Wombs and Wildfire: Smoke, Stress and Reproductive Justice

Wildfires cause significant stress, break apart communities and in places dramatically change the world people birth their newborns into. Recent epidemiologic research suggests wildfire exposure is associated with higher rates of adverse birth outcomes. Although some data is available, information on wildfires and health protection strategies are not known to many health educators, providers, pregnant people, or families.

Research on climate trends suggests that the frequency, duration, and intensity of wildfires will continue at least until mid-century. Action must be taken with direct service providers and communities at large. The US cannot afford further pressure on maternal and newborn health, already in crisis in the US.

Human Rights Watch and Nurturely invite you to a webinar exploring the US wildfire crisis as a reproductive health and rights problem that requires a response that centers care workers and reproductive justice. The speakers will, in different ways, press for bold and creative approaches in how we think about wildfires and what people, skills and resources are needed, especially for care workers. This event follows the recent release of our report “Reproductive Rights in the US Wildfire Crisis: Insights from Health Workers in Oregon State”

• Laura Kate Bender, Assistant Vice President, Nationwide Healthy Air at the American Lung Association will open our webinar and provide some comments on the state of air in the US including the growing contribution of wildfire smoke to pollution.
• Epidemiologist and air pollution/climate expert Associate Professor in Public Health at the University of California Merced, Dr. Sandie Ha will provide insights into what epidemiology is available on maternal health impacts from wildfire including her recent findings on how heat and wildfire smoke together may be especially dangerous for pregnancy health.
• Dr. Aver Yakubu, Nurturely, and Skye Wheeler, Human Rights Watch, will discuss findings and recommendations from their recent research interviewing community health workers, doctors, doulas, midwives, nurses and public health officials in Oregon about wildfire impacts on pregnancy health and their own work.
• Three providers, Jacquelyn Ingram, midwife, Hawaii, Jessica “Veege” Ruediger, midwife, Oregon and Shoneena Lee Loss, doula, Nlaka’pamux Territory in British Columbia, Canada, who have all worked with wildfire-affected communities will have conversation with Americares’ director of climate and disaster resilience, and maternal health expert Elena Ateva, about their experiences, the impacts they’ve seen on maternal and newborn health and well-being from wildfire and what actions they want to see from policy makers to better protect maternal health and rights in response to the climate crisis.