This week, Congresswomen Lauren Underwood and Alma S. Adams and Senator Cory Booker, along with members of the Black Maternal Health Caucus, introduced the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021. The bill builds on existing legislation to address every dimension of the maternal health crisis in America comprehensively. The purpose of the bill is […]
New Data on Maternal Mortality Rates Show Extent of Racial Disparities
As of 2018, all 50 states have adhered to a standardized method to report maternal mortality rates, and the recent release of this collection of data highlights the maternal health crisis in the US, particularly among women of color. In the U.S. nearly 700 women die each year due to complications related to pregnancy or […]
Black Maternal Health Caucus Holds Stakeholder Summit at the Capitol
Last Thursday afternoon, the Black Maternal Health Caucus (BMHC), composed of Congress members, such as co-founders Lauren Underwood (IL-14) and Alma Adams (NC-12), Jackie Speier (CA-14), and Ilhan Omar (MN-5), gathered to hear the opinions of the stakeholders involved in developing a course of action to how to best deal with the issue of discrepancies […]
Activists Observe Inaugural Black Maternal Health Week
On April 11, the Black Mama’s Matter Alliance launched the inaugural Black Maternal Health Week (April 11-17) to promote awareness about the high mortality rate for Black mothers in the United States. According to the Black Mama’s Matter Alliance, the events of the inaugural Black Maternal Health Week “serve to amplify the voices of Black mamas […]
Maternal Mortality Rates are Rising in the United States
The United States saw a dramatic 27 percent jump in the maternal death rate from 19 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2000 to 24 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2014. In 2015, the rate once again went up to 26.4 deaths per 100,000 live births, and it is black women who are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy or childbirth related incidences than white women.
Black Mamas Matter Alliance Briefs on Black Maternal Health
Despite the fact that global maternal mortality rates have fallen by over a third since 2000, death rates for pregnant women in the United States are on the rise.
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Trump Administration Cuts Off All UNFPA Funding
Earlier this month—right after the Republican-controlled Congress approved a repeal of an Obama-era regulation that reinforced protections for healthcare access under the Title X family planning program—the Trump Administration officially cut off all US funding for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the main UN agency working to advance family planning worldwide.
Afghanistan Women’s Advancement: Progress Report
Despite the persistent Taliban terrorist attacks, Afghanistan is a nation that continues to make considerable progress.
Texas Maternal Death Rate Doubles in Wake of Family Planning Funding Cuts
Maternal mortality rates in Texas almost doubled between 2010 and 2012, according to a new study by the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Sierra Leone Legalizes Abortion
The Safe Abortion Act that passed this week with an overwhelming majority support in the parliament will make the abortion procedure legal in Sierra Leone.
UN Reports Major Decrease In Maternal Mortality Worldwide
A new report by the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the World Bank Group and the United Nations Population Division reveals a 44 percent drop in maternal mortality worldwide since 1990.
Detroit Maternal Death Rate Is Triple the US Average
Women in Detroit are dying from pregnancy-related complications at about three times the US average, according to the Michigan Department of Community Health. Twenty-six women died in Detroit over the period 2008-2011 as a result of pregnancy or childbirth, and Detroit has the highest rate of infant mortality among major US cities, with 13.5 infant deaths for every […]
Reports Reveal Decrease in Maternal Mortality and Need for Faster Progress
Two new reports by United Nations agencies revealed that although there has been significant progress in reducing maternal mortality worldwide over the last decade, much more can be done to protect women’s lives.
Around the World, Mother’s Day Is A Call to Action
Becoming a mother didn’t cost me my life, and it didn’t cost my daughter hers either. Some moms aren’t so lucky.
Brain-Dead Pregnant Woman Kept Alive Against Her Wishes
A 2012 report by the Center for Women Policy Studies found that Texas is one of 12 US states that invalidate a woman’s end-of-life wishes if she is pregnant.
UNFPA Plan Aims To Protect Women’s Safety, Health In Aftermath of Typhoon
Typhoon Haiyan, which hit two weeks ago, has wreaked havoc in the Philippines.
Report Shows Strong Global Commitment to Family Planning
“Together, so much has already been achieved, and the incredibly positive spirit expressed during this conference convinces me that we can do so much more.”
Pregnancy Pricetags, Impossible Choices: Women in the US Are Between A Rock and a Hard Place
When women get pregnant in America, they pay more and die more than women in other industrialized nations.
Wrap It Up India: The Time Is Now For Family Planning
According to “Condom Use Before Marriage and Its Correlates: Evidence from India,” a study published in the December issue of International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, the majority of people in India having premarital sex between the ages of 15 and 24 did not use condoms. Authors K.G. Santhya, Rajib Acharya and Shireen J. […]
The Women of “Women, War and Peace”
By Michele Kort The remarkable five-part PBS series Women, War and Peace concludes on tonight (Tuesday, November 8th) with War Redefined, the capstone piece that brings together the issues brought up in the previous films about conflicts in Afghanistan, Colombia, Liberia and Bosnia. Narrated by Geena Davis, the film touches on, among other things, […]
