Why U.S. Maternal Health Care Is Broken
In the U.S., about one out of 10 infants is born preterm, or before 37 weeks of pregnancy have been completed, which leads to higher rates of death and disability. Each year there are also 50,000 “near misses” of death from pregnancy. The causes can include bleeding, heart attack, shock, kidney failure or infection in the uterus. Near misses are preventable, but hindered by a lack of research in the U.S. They’re actually increasing year-by-year, and they’re higher in Southern states and for black and indigenous individuals. This is true for preterm birth as well and comes down to a mix of social and economic factors, including housing, transportation, food security, health coverage, quality of care, and chronic stress. Reproductive Justice was developed by 12 Black women in Chicago in 1994.
— read more scientificamerican.com | Oct 20, 2022