Tue, Jun 27th, 2023 - 2:38pm
February 23, 2022 - 9:28am | By Tom Tucker
(Atlanta, GA) -- A new federal report is shining a light on glaring maternal death disparities in the U.S.
Research from the CDC shows the rate of pregnancy-related deaths have been steadily rising in the nation over the past three decades. In 2020, the maternal death rate among Black women was nearly three-times the rate for white women, according to the National Center for Health Statistics report.
As far as determining how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected and contributed to maternal death, an NCHS spokesperson told CNN it "may be difficult" to determine. Meantime, while there's been a rise in the number of women dying from pregnancy or childbirth in the U.S., maternal death rates in most other countries are declining. According to the latest data from WHO, the U.S. has the highest maternal death rate of any developed nation.
The report defined maternal death as a woman either dying while pregnant or within 42 days following pregnancy.
