New mothers are dying. Despite all our technological and medical advances, the US maternal mortality rate is 35% higher today than it was in 1990. This is a huge cause for concern and the fate of our nation. The maternal mortality rate is out of control.
What is Maternal Mortality?
Maternal mortality describes cases where a mother dies during childbirth or within six weeks of delivery. Often, these women are impacted by a lack of access to healthcare or improper medical care.
Some of the most common causes of maternal mortality include:
Infection
Untreated bleeding
High blood pressure
Obstructed labor
Self-induced abortion
Lowering the maternal mortality rates starts with providing accessible healthcare. It continues by addressing the issue of disproportionate impact.
Who is Affected?
While the maternal mortality rate has risen across the board, no group is more affected than black mothers. Nationwide, black women are twice as likely to die of birth complications as anyone else. In Georgia, black women suffer from maternal mortality at triple the national average.
There are many reasons for this impact, but one of the most important are physiological differences. Medical staff often fail to account for racial and ethnic differences, like high blood pressure, and how that changes their care plan. Black women raising concerns in the hospital are often dismissed as complainers. That is extremely troubling, especially when lives are on the line.
We need to lower the maternal mortality rate. There is no excuse why the United States, the richest nation in the world, should lose as many new mothers as Peru or Syria.
If you lost someone you love to maternal mortality, we are here for you. If you’d like an experienced Albuquerque medical malpractice attorney from James Wood Law to evaluate your case, please send us an email or call (505) 906-6774.