LOS ANGELES — With federal data showing a surge in deaths among pregnant women during the pandemic, California advocates say it is furthering their resolve to continue trying to prevent as many of those deaths as possible.
The National Center for Health Statistics reported Thursday that 1,205 pregnant women died in the United States in 2021, a 40% increase over 2020, when 861 deaths occurred. The total was 754 in 2019.
Pregnant Black women continued to have the highest risk of dying, according to the report. In 2021, the maternal mortality rate for Black women was 69.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, 2.6 times the rate for white women at 26.6 deaths. Among Hispanic women, the report found there were 28 deaths per 100,000 live births.
