University of Minnesota’s ‘Antiracism and Healthy Equity Center’ claims ‘birthing people’ are at higher risk of premature deliveries in over-policed neighborhoods

A University of Minnesota scholar has raised eyebrows with her study into how policing affects ‘birthing people’ in different parts of Minneapolis.

Rachel Hardeman, director of the Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity at the university, published her findings on December 8 in the medical journal JAMA.

Hardeman found that all mothers living in intensely-policed parts of Minneapolis were significantly more likely to give birth prematurely – defined as birth before 37 weeks of gestation.