Opinion: The shameful abundance of birth- and pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S.
The U.S. spends more on health care than any other wealthy nation. Yet, more people here die from complications of pregnancy and childbirth than in any of those countries.
The numbers are stark: Birthing people die in 17 of every 100,000 births in the U.S., compared to just three or fewer in the Netherlands, Norway, and New Zealand. Those who die in this country are, more often than not, Black people, the delivery room being one more place where systemic racism takes its toll on Black families.
