Death in Childbirth

I taught a course last year in global maternal mortality so I have some idea of what I ' m talking about here. Childbirth is dangerous for women because, for one thing, thanks to evolution giving us big brains, the baby ' s head is too big for the birth canal. However, there are other complications of pregnancy that can occur. In Europe in the 19th Century, as it became common for women to give birth in hospitals, infectious disease killed a lot of mothers, thanks to the doctors transferring pathogens on their unwashed hands and unsterile instruments. Many a family was bereaved by maternal death, but it has become rare in most of the wealthy countries today. With, as I expect you have already guessed, one exception.Maternal mortality in the U.S. has long been far more common here than in comparable nations, and this has in large part been due to a huge racial disparity. Black women are much more likely to die in childbirth than white women. But now it ' s gotten worse. I ' m just going to post a press release I got this morning, and let it speak for itself.Shocking Rise in Maternal Mortality, With Black Moms at Greatest Risk, Underscores Need for Congress to Pass Momnibus Act and Secure Access to Abortion Care FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMarch 17, 2023CONTACT:Magen Eissenstat, 202/371-1996 Statement of leaders of MomsRising, the online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families, on the National Center for Health Statistics data relea...
Source: Stayin' Alive - Category: American Health Source Type: blogs