Maternity Death Rates Are Very High In The U.S., But Congress Doesn't Seem To Care [View all]

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http://www.alternet.org/maternity-death-rates-are-very-high-us-congress-doesnt-seem-care



The U.S. ranks a shocking 60 out of 180 countries when it comes to maternity death rates, according to The Lancet, a weekly medical journal. America is one of only eight countries in the world to see an increase in its maternal mortality rate over the past decade; Greece, Afghanistan and several nations in Africa and South America round out the other seven. In 2013, 18.5 mothers died for every 100,000 births in the U.S—a total of nearly 800 deaths. Nationwide, black American women are four times as likely to die during childbirth than white women, according to Amnesty International.

As alarming as these figures are, Congress has been slow to act. U.S. Representative John Conyers (D-Mich) is sponsoring H.R. 4216: the Maternal Health Accountability Act of 2014. Conyers told AlterNet that the bill will require all states to mandate health professionals and facilities to report pregnancy-related deaths, investigate and develop case findings and summaries for each occurrence, establish review committees with ob-gyns, nurses, social workers, healthcare facility representatives and other relevant stakeholders to recommend prevention strategies, disseminate findings and recommendations, among other steps.

"This bill will help address this unacceptable racial disparity by helping to address a range of barriers to safe pregnancies ranging from health complications to financial needs," said Conyers, whose district includes Detroit. "The bill will promote accountability and shared responsibility between states, the federal government, and healthcare providers to identify opportunities for improvement of care and means to educate health professionals, women and families about preventing pregnancy-related deaths and complications."

According to govtrack.us, the bill has only 25 co-sponsors and a 1 percent chance of passing. There's not much hope at the state level either; most states don't even track pregnancy-related deaths.