Tori Bowie's Death: Felix and Madison sound Black maternal mortality crisis warning

Former World and Olympic champions Tianna Madison (now Tashelle) and Allyson Felix have sounded warnings of black maternal mortality crisis in the US following Tori Bowie's death. 

On May 2, reports confirmed that Bowie (2019 world's fastest woman) was found dead on her bed in her Florida home during a routine check. 

The 32-year-old was estimated to be eight months pregnant, and there was evidence she had been in labor. Autopsy reports released by the Orange County, Florida, medical examiner's office will reveal that Bowie had died from complications of childbirth.

Bowie’s manner of death was ruled natural, and the report stated that there had been “possible complications,” including “respiratory distress and eclampsia.”

Following this autopsy revelation, Madison will make a Twitter post sounding an alarm of a rising #BlackMaternalHealthCrisis in the US.

"As of June 2023…3 of the 4 members of Team USA’s 4x100m relay team…who ran the SECOND fastest time in history, and brought home THEE gold medal…have nearly died or did die in childbirth. We deserve better. #BlackMaternalHealthCrisis," she wrote.

Felix (arguably the most decorated female track and field athlete in history), supported this cry for help by quoting it with her message.

"It’s absolutely heartbreaking. We continue to face a black maternal mortality crisis in this country. My heart aches. We have to do more."

At the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Bowie, Madison, Felix, and English Gardner were part of Team USA's gold medal-winning 4x100m relay squad.

Both Madison and Felix had a child of their own afterward, however, with complications at childbirth that almost claimed their lives. Bowie wasn't lucky with her complications as she was home alone when it happened, and it was only days after she was seen.

Bowie's cause of death eclampsia happens when a woman who previously had normal blood pressure suddenly develops “high blood pressure and protein in her urine or other problems after 20 weeks of pregnancy,” according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention. 

Some women with preeclampsia can develop seizures or coma – a condition called eclampsia – which is a medical emergency, the CDC says.

The CDC also said hypertensive disorders in pregnancy appear to be on the rise in the US. Older women, as well as Black, American Indian, and Alaska Native women, were at higher risk of hypertensive disorders, according to data published last year by the CDC.

A report by CNN said federal data showed that the nation’s overall maternal death rate rose significantly in 2021, with the rates among Black women more than twice as high as those of White women.