• About Us
  • Who Are We
  • Work With Us
Thursday, January 26, 2023
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Globe Post
39 °f
New York
44 ° Fri
46 ° Sat
40 ° Sun
41 ° Mon
No Result
View All Result
The Globe Post
No Result
View All Result
Home National

Women of Color Far More Likely to Die in US from Pregnancy-Related Causes  

Alex Graf by Alex Graf
11/21/19
in National
Women of Color Far More Likely to Die in US from Pregnancy-Related Causes  

The US infant mortality rate as compared to the average of comparable countries. Source: Peterson-Kaiser Health System Tracker

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Babies and mothers in the United States die at substantially higher rates than those in comparable countries like the United Kingdom and France. The U.S. has an infant mortality rate of 5.8 per 1,000 live births whereas the average comparable country has an infant mortality rate of just 3.4 per 1,000 live births.

Representatives Lauren Underwood (D-IL) and Alma Adams (D-NC) hosted a panel on Capitol Hill Tuesday on the subject of infant and maternal mortality, two metrics where the United States underperforms in contrast with comparable countries and where women and babies of color are far more likely to die than mothers and babies of other races due to pregnancy-related causes.  

The disparity grows even wider when looking at maternal mortality rates. While most comparable countries have seen a steady decline in their maternal mortality rates, the rate at which mothers die due to pregnancy-related complications in the U.S. has increased. The U.S. maternal mortality rate was 29.9 per 100,000 live births in contrast with just 6.1 per 100,000 in the average comparable country. 

The US infant mortality rate compared to other major countries. Source: Peterson-Kaiser Heath System Tracker

In addition, the statistics on maternal mortality are only one part of the story. For every mother that dies during childbirth, there are about 70 mothers who nearly die due to severe health complications like hemorrhages and organ failure. 

“We’re still facing a public health crisis with moms in America today more likely to die in childbirth than mothers in any other developed nation,” Adams said. “When you start to drill down into that shocking fact, one thing becomes clear: the majority of the women dying are African American.”

There is a maternal mortality crisis among women of color in America.

No woman & her baby should ever have to pay the price because they lack access to quality maternal care.

Glad to see the Maternal Health Quality Act pass out of @EnergyCommerce today! pic.twitter.com/3AS9dqwAwd

— US Rep. Darren Soto (@RepDarrenSoto) November 19, 2019

According to the Center for Disease Control, black and indigenous women die from pregnancy-related causes at three times the rate of white women. That disparity persists through infant mortality rates as well, with infant mortality for black babies at 11.4 per 1,000 live births and for white babies 4.9 per 1,000.

One panelist, Rachel Hardeman, an Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management at the University of Minnesota, linked the racial disparity in infant and maternal mortality to the 400 years-long history of slavery and racial oppression in the U.S.

“These actions were built on a foundation of white supremacy that persists today,” Hardeman said. “60 percent of our country’s history is built on black enslavement and about 22 percent on Jim Crow.”

In April, Representatives Underwood and Adams launched the Black Maternal Health Caucus with the goal of establishing black maternal health as a national priority. According to Underwood, the caucus has grown in size since April and now has more than 90 members including both Democrats and Republicans. 

“For Congresswoman Adams and I the motivation to launch the caucus stemmed from alarming data and personal experiences,” Underwood said. “The numbers alone are staggering but behind each statistic is a story. Congresswoman Adams has seen the unique risks facing black mothers and so have I.”

The US maternal mortality rate as compared to the average of comparable countries. Source: Peterson-Kaiser Health System Tracker

Underwood touted two pieces of legislation which both passed out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Tuesday as examples of the accomplishments of the Black Maternal Health Caucus. the Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act and the Helping MOMS Act.

The Maternal Health Improvement Act would offer grants for to “eligible entities” that provide maternal health care services in rural and medically underserved areas as well as tribal organizations for Native Americans. The bill would also require grant recipients to implement new training programs for healthcare providers with a focus on maternal care and implicit bias. 

The Helping MOMS Act would incentivize states to extend Medicaid coverage to new mothers for a full year postpartum.

Demystifying Canadian Health Care: How is it Different from US?

ShareTweet
Alex Graf

Alex Graf

Keep up with his latest writing on climate, water, healthcare and more by following him on twitter @mjcabooseman

Related Posts

George Santos from the 3rd Congressional district of New York
Opinion

George Santos for Speaker!

by Stephen J. Lyons
January 16, 2023
Top view of the US House of Representatives
National

Chaos as US House Adjourns Without Choosing Speaker

by Staff Writer
January 4, 2023
Commuters waiting for buses in Metro Manila. Philippines
Opinion

Eight Billion and Counting…

by Stephen J. Lyons
November 29, 2022
US President Donald Trump
Opinion

Donald Trump Thanks You for Your Sacrifice

by Stephen J. Lyons
August 17, 2022
Protesters stand with placards in front of the statue of India's independence leader Mahatma Gandhi in Parliament Square, central London, after a demonstration outside the US Embassy
Featured

Considering the Patience of Gandhi for These Troubled Times

by Stephen J. Lyons
August 5, 2022
US President Donald Trump
Opinion

Owning the Words and the Libs

by Stephen J. Lyons
June 16, 2022
Next Post
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on November 19, 2017

Netanyahu Indicted for Bribery, Fraud, and Breach of Trust: Justice Ministry

Australian PM Denies Climate Link as Smoke Chokes Sydney

Australian PM Denies Climate Link as Smoke Chokes Sydney

Recommended

The Doomsday Clock reads 100 seconds to midnight, a decision made by The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, during an announcement at the National Press Club in Washington, DC on January 23, 2020

‘Doomsday Clock’ Moves Closest Ever to Midnight

January 25, 2023
Police work near the scene of a mass shooting in Monterey Park, California

California Lunar New Year Mass Shooter Dead, Motive Unclear: Police

January 23, 2023
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern

Race on To Replace Ardern as New Zealand Prime Minister

January 20, 2023
Pfizer logo and vaccines

Pfizer to Sell More Drugs at Cost to Poor Nations

January 18, 2023
Rescuers inspect the wreckage at the site of a Yeti Airlines plane crash in Pokhara, Nepal

At Least 67 Killed in Nepal Plane Crash

January 16, 2023
George Santos from the 3rd Congressional district of New York

George Santos for Speaker!

January 16, 2023

Opinion

George Santos from the 3rd Congressional district of New York

George Santos for Speaker!

January 16, 2023
Commuters waiting for buses in Metro Manila. Philippines

Eight Billion and Counting…

November 29, 2022
Mahsa Amini protests

Imagining a Free Iran

October 24, 2022
Vladimir Putin

How 18th Century International Law Clarifies the Situation in Ukraine

September 29, 2022
Vladimir Putin

Falling for Putin

September 15, 2022
US President Donald Trump

Donald Trump Thanks You for Your Sacrifice

August 17, 2022
Facebook Twitter

Newsletter

Do you like our reporting?
SUBSCRIBE

About Us

The Globe Post

The Globe Post is part of Globe Post Media, a U.S. digital news organization that is publishing the world's best targeted news sites.

submit oped

© 2018 The Globe Post

No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • World
  • Business
  • Interviews
  • Lifestyle
  • Democracy at Risk
    • Media Freedom
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Columns
    • Book Reviews
    • Stage
  • Submit Op-ed

© 2018 The Globe Post