Series: What the ICE surge taught us about maternity care (Why I care)
At one point, it no longer felt acceptable to just watch what was happening | 3 min read
In January, a video circulated on social media.
ICE agents detained a man inside a library where I took my kids the day before.
I couldn't stop thinking about it.
As a second-generation American and 2X survivor of postpartum anxiety, I recognized the feeling instantly.
Elevated heart rate. Trouble focusing. Bracing for the worst, and feeling like something bad was going to happen.
But this time, the threat wasn’t internal.
It was all around me.
As things unfolded, I heard story after story of families who were too afraid to leave their homes for fear of being targeted or detained. The most heartbreaking were pregnant patients who suffered preventable complications, emergencies, and pregnancy loss.
All because they were too afraid to get care.
For the first time, I understood how fear shaped daily behavior.
- How it changes whether people go to schools, hospitals, churches, grocery stores, and libraries.
- How it changes who they trust.
- Or whether they seek care at all.
At one point, it no longer felt acceptable to just watch what was happening in our state.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
This wasn’t about politics. It was about what happens when fear reaches places we once considered safe.
I’m grateful for the Chamber of Mothers community, which helped me channel my fear and anger into action, advocacy, and speaking up for others.
I still think about that video in our local library.
And when fear like this extends to OB clinics and hospitals, we have a major trust problem. Because trust is the foundation of healthcare.
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Read the full blog on Postpartum Support International here.
Learn more about what I’m fighting for.
