In recent years, as high rates of maternal
mortality in the U.S. have
alarmed researchers, one statistic has been especially concerning. According to
the CDC, black mothers in the U.S. die at three to four times the rate of white
mothers, one of the widest of all racial disparities in women’s health. Put another
way, a black woman is 22 percent more likely to die from heart disease than a
white woman, 71 percent more likely to perish from cervical cancer, but 243
percent more likely to die from pregnancy- or childbirth-related causes. In a national study of five medical
complications that are common causes of maternal death and injury, black women
were two to three times more likely to die than white women who had the same
condition.
