USA Today Reports that the Maternal Death Rate in the U.S. is Rising, While the Rest of the World's is Falling

New mothers in the United States are increasingly at risk of suffering serious or even fatal complications according to a report recently published by USA Today. According to the report, new mothers in the U.S. die at a greater rate than in every other developed nation across the world.

The reporters at USA Today investigated maternal death rates in developed nations across the globe, including Japan, Canada, France, Britain, and Germany, and found that while those nations have seen a considerable decline in new mother mortality since 1990, the U.S. has seen a considerable increase over that same timeframe. Back in 1990, the U.S. and France were tied for second highest new mother death rate at approximately 16 deaths per 100,000 live births – only Germany was higher, closer to 20 per 100,000.

Now, the death rate in the U.S. is approximately 26.4 per 100,000 live births, or approximately 700 deaths per year. In comparison, the other five nations listed in the report significantly cut back on the number of maternal deaths. In some cases, the nations managed to cut the rate by more than half.

• Japan: 6.4 per 100,000
• Canada: 7.3 per 100,000
• France: 7.8 per 100,000
• Britain: 8.8 per 100,000
• Germany: 9 per 100,000

In addition to the growing death toll in the U.S., the number of women who experience severe complications or life-threatening injuries is on the rise too. According to the USA Today report, approximately 50,000 women are affected every single year – a truly troubling note on this included in the report is that experts believe this number could be cut in half if hospitals simply followed basic safety steps.

You can read the report in full here. The reporters go in-depth in their investigation into how these hospitals fail to follow best practice standards by interviewing leading experts and medical professionals to better understand the issues facing healthcare providers and women.

Pregnancy and giving birth to a new life is stressful enough on its own, and only becomes more so when hospitals fails to follow basic safety protocol. at Decof, Barry, Mega & Quinn, P.C., our Providence birth injury lawyers understand just how devastating this can be to a young family, and we are committed to fighting for your rights in court and at the negotiation table to secure you the legal outcome you deserve. Send us the details of your situation through our online form, and a member of our firm will get back to you as soon as possible to set up a case consultation. You can also call us at (401) 200-4059 to speak with one of our lawyers today.