The year is 2017, and it’s November. I’m sure by now you’ve heard of the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. Maybe you even thought it was over and the water has been cleaned—unfortunately, it hasn’t. It’s been over 3 years since the Flint Water Crisis began in April of 2014, and things have only gotten worse. Ever since the decision was made to switch Flint’s water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River, over 1,700 citizens of Flint have been affected by the poisoned water that flows through their pipes.
Lauren and her children.
From having to use bottled water for just about everything, to suffering through lead poisoning and Legionnaire’s disease, now it seems the toxic water is also affecting women’s ability to have children. In a recent interview done with the news outlet Rewire, Rachel Lauren—mother of four, wonderful, healthy children— shared her ordeal with her last pregnancy. In the past, Lauren has had no complications or issues with her previous pregnancies. However, on her fifth child, she suffered a miscarriage; “I really believe it’s the water”, she told Rewire. Lauren delivered her baby just one short month after discovering she was pregnant. Lauren says she moved to Flint, Michigan shortly before the water crisis began, which means she has more of a reason to believe that her unsuccessful pregnancy was due to the contaminated water supply. Studies show that although it’s not certain that Flint’s water is the cause of this, since 2014, fetal death rates have increased by an astounding 58%. Fertility rates have also decreased by 12%. Certainly, if every resident of Flint were to put themselves of the registry of those who have been exposed, these statistics would be of a higher degree.
The Water Crisis of Flint, Michigan quite possibly is a good example of systemic racism here in America—being that the city’s population is majority black—and as a method of genocide. Perhaps if most of the residents were on the lighter, whiter side of the skin color spectrum, something certainly would have been done already. For now, the recorded deaths since the crisis began is at 15 people, but if this issue is not soon resolved, the effects on the city of Flint could be disastrous.
On the more hopeful side of things, in March of this year, the EPA awarded Flint $100 million for drinking water infrastructure upgrades, and a federal judge has approved a $97 million settlement, in which the state of Michigan agreed to replace the lead or galvanized steel water lines in Flint. So far, the water lines have not yet begun to be replaced, but I’m optimistic that things will get better. In the meantime, we can all do our part in helping alleviate the suffering of the citizens of Flint, Michigan.