The Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation published a study last year that revealed something shocking: in most first world countries, the maternal death rate is going down. In the United States, it is climbing.
The maternal death rate is the death of any woman while pregnant, giving birth, or within a year after birth if the death is caused by birth-related complications. America’s maternal death rate is 21 deaths per 100,000 births, which means every year, 600 to 700 people die due to a fatal pregnancy. By comparison, South Korea has an MDR of 16 deaths per 100,000 births. Canada and the UK have 12, France has 8, and Estonia has the lowest MDR of any country, with only 2 deaths per 100,000 births.
The American maternal death rate is nearly twice that of our European counterparts, and even some countries considered “third world” have better statistics. Perhaps the worst part of all, though, is that an estimated 60% of these deaths are preventable.
Behind these fatalities is a country that doesn’t seem to care for its mothers, especially if those mothers are poor and non-white. A quarter of America’s new moms go back to work within 10 days after childbirth; according to the American economic system, paid maternity leave is a privilege, not a right. For mothers who have multiple children, the physical and mental strain of being pushed back into one’s job within days of giving birth can be devastating.
Prenatal care in the United States is also remarkably expensive. Medical supplements and regular check-ups are necessary to a safe pregnancy, but many women can’t afford them. Pregnancy is an extremely physically demanding process, and without proper medical care, it’s easy to see why lower-class mothers are suffering.
Other theories as to why more mothers are dying include the higher obesity rate in the United States (which, once again, especially affects the lower class), doctors paying more attention to the infant than the mother, and lack of sufficient information provided to women on post-natal care.
Whatever the cause, being a mother in the United States is now more dangerous than it was decades ago. Despite medical advancements and a (slightly) less patriarchal society, our neglect has once again hurt the people who are among the most in need of our protection: poor, non-white women.
