Maternal Mortality Research in The Lancet
This month, the Lancet released a report indicating that the global maternal mortality rate (the rate in which women dies during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period) has fallen about 40 percent since 1980. The global rate in 2008 was 251 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births, with the highest being in Afghanistan and dramatic reductions occurring in India, China, Brazil, and Egypt. However, this is still far from where we need to be. The U.S. ranks 41st in the world for maternal deaths with a rate of 17, a rate much higher than Italy at 4. According to an article in the Huffington Post by Serra Sippel, president of the Center for Health and Gender Equity, "The decrease in the maternal mortality rate does not justify a decrease in attention, urgency, or funding. Rather, it requires a strategy that meets the needs of those it affects."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/14/AR2010041404974.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/serra-sippel/maternal-mortality-decrea_b_537490.html
