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Saturday, May 13th, 2023

The U.S. Maternal Mortality Crisis Continues to Worsen: An International Comparison

Author:     Munira Z. Gunja, Evan D. Gumas, and Reginald D. Williams II
Source:     The Commonwealth Fund
Publication Date:     A December 2022
 Link: The U.S. Maternal Mortality Crisis Continues to Worsen: An International Comparison
Stephan:  

I wonder if the women in America really understand just how bad female healthcare is in the United States for all women but particularly for women of color. Here is some solid data on maternal mortality comparing the U.S. with other developed nations. It is horrifying. If you are going to have a baby, particularly if you live in a Red state, your life is at risk in a way it would be in no other developed nation in the world. It is so bad that if I were a woman of color I would visit family or friends in a Blue state for my delivery. There are third world countries with better maternal mortality statistics than the U.S.

The maternal mortality rate in the United States has for many years exceeded that of other high-income countries. Data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show rates worsening around the world in recent years, as well as a widening gap between the U.S. and its peer nations.

New international data show the maternal mortality rate in the U.S. continues to exceed the rate in other high-income countries. In 2020, the maternal mortality rate in the U.S. was 24 deaths per 100,000 live births — more than three times the rate in most other high-income countries. In the Netherlands, almost no women died from maternal complications.

The U.S. maternal mortality rate is exceptionally high for Black women. It is more than double the average rate and nearly three times higher than the rate for white women.

The U.S. maternal mortality rate has been on the rise since 2000 and has spiked in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic challenged health systems across the world and may have played […]

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