The push to reduce poor maternal health outcomes has seen new momentum as lawmakers and Biden administration officials previewed their priorities — including reversing a rise in maternal disparities among Black women.
The United States leads among developed nations in its poor maternal mortality rates, referring to deaths during or up to one year after childbirth. These deaths — alongside maternal morbidity, or long-term health problems arising from pregnancy or childbirth — are growing problems nationally.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data for 2020 shows the maternal mortality rate was 23.8 deaths per 100,000 live births. But for non-Hispanic Black women, that number jumped to 55.3 deaths per 100,000 live births.
