Deaths
related to pregnancy and childbearing have increased in the United
States over the past decade, putting maternal mortality at nearly its
highest rate in a quarter century, according to a new study published in
the Lancet. The U.S. is one of just eight countries where maternal
deaths increased between 2003 and 2013; the other nations in this
dubious category include Afghanistan, El Salvador, Belize, and South
Sudan.
According to the researchers, for every 100,000 births in
the U.S. last year, about 18.5 women died. That doesn't stack up very
well with the mortality rates in other nations. A woman giving birth in
America is more than twice as likely to die as a woman in Saudi Arabia
or China, and three times as likely to die as a woman in the United
Kingdom.
It's also evidence that this issue is getting worse.
Back in 1990, the United States' maternal mortality rate was 12.4 women
per 100,000 births. In 2003, it was 17.6.
The Lancet study is
just the latest data point in a mounting pile of research about this
country's maternal mortality problem. Despite the fact that giving birth
in the U.S. costs more than anywhere else in the world, that's not
guaranteeing a better quality of care for women in this country -
particularly for women of color. African American mothers are more than
three times as likely to die as a result of pregnancy and childbirth
than their white counterparts.
Last year, the pharmaceutical
company Merck brought its maternal health program, which was initially
developed to help save women's lives in impoverished nations, here to
the United States. At the time, the company's chief executive explained
that Merck was turning its attention to the U.S. because this country's
rising maternal mortality rate is "appalling" and "something we ought to
be ashamed of."
It's not entirely clear why the United States
is lagging so far behind, but researchers agree it probably reflects a
lack of access to health care and a high rate of unplanned pregnancies.
Many women are dying from chronic health issues that are exacerbated by
their pregnancies because they didn't receive adequate care to manage
their conditions beforehand. Other women lack the resources to prevent
pregnancy if they're not financially stable enough to have a child. And
many expectant mothers struggle to get the prenatal care they need
during their pregnancies.
[...]
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