CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC/Gray News) — A South Carolina midwife who dedicated her life’s work to preventing maternal deaths died from childbirth complications earlier this month.

Dr. Janell Green Smith, a Charleston native, midwife and career advocate for maternal health care, died at age 31.

Her family and friends said she dedicated her life to advocating for maternal health care and preventing deaths from childbirth complications, especially in Black women.

Studies have shown that the United States continues to have the highest maternal death rate among developed nations, with the numbers for Black women being particularly concerning.

According to the CDC, Black women died at a rate of 50.3 per 100,000 live births, compared with 14.5 per 100,000 for white women.

In a statement, the National Black Nurses Association described Green Smith’s death as both heartbreaking and unacceptable.

“Her death lays bare a truth the data have long confirmed: Black women—regardless of education, professional expertise, or proximity to healthcare—remain at disproportionate risk during pregnancy and childbirth due to systemic failures in care.”

The association added that even Green Smith’s expertise in maternal health care did not protect her from becoming a statistic.

“Dr. Green Smith’s knowledge did not shield her. Her credentials did not protect her. That reality demands more than reflection; it demands accountability,” the association wrote. “We affirm our responsibility to help make the world safer for her child, for a generation that deserves systems of care where Black mothers live, thrive, and return home.”

NBC News reports that Green Smith developed preeclampsia, high blood pressure during pregnancy that can be fatal. Because of the risks, Green Smith underwent a cesarean section on Dec. 26 to deliver her baby girl eight weeks early.

Green Smith’s family told NBC News that she initially seemed to recover from the C-section until her incision site ruptured days later. She was rushed into emergency surgery, where there were “complications,” and she died on Jan. 1.

The baby girl, named Eden, remains in the NICU.

“An unimaginable loss,” her husband Daiquan Smith wrote on Instagram, sharing a photo of the couple on their wedding day. “Janell was deeply loved, and her presence will always be felt.”

Members of the Charleston community gathered Wednesday night to remember Green Smith.

Her older sister Selina Green said Green Smith’s impact on the lives of others could not be overstated.

“They’ve been telling me that she was a wonderful nurse to them. They’ve been telling me that they miss her just like I miss her,” Green said. “They’ve been telling me that she’s a wonderful person, that they are inspired by her story.”

Green said her sister’s legacy was defined by her care for mothers-to-be and her determined nature.

“That was her passion; she really wanted to highlight what it’s like to be a woman of color and pregnant,” Green said. “Nothing stopped her … she had tunnel vision to her goals.”

Green Smith’s death has garnered national attention, with Planned Parenthood joining the list of those mourning her loss.

“We are saddened to learn of the death of Dr. Janell Green Smith, CNM, a Black midwife and maternal health expert who died from complications of childbirth. This is a painful addition to the Black maternal mortality crisis,” the organization said in a statement. “Systemic racism spares no one – no matter your education, income status, or location.”

The Black maternal health crisis is especially severe in South Carolina, which ranks as the state with the eighth highest maternal mortality rate in the United States. South Carolina’s mortality rate is nearly twice as high for Black women as it is for white women, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Health. The department also said that nearly 90% of all pregnancy-related deaths are preventable.

The South Carolina Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Review Committee cited discrimination as one of the top circumstances leading to pregnancy-related deaths from 2018 to 2021, second only to obesity.

Green Smith’s family, including the child she traded her life for, will continue to mourn and, more importantly, never let her story die.

“I will always and forever say that her big sister is very proud of her,” Green said.

Copyright 2026 WCSC via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.