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Greenwood Commonwealth. June 24, 2023.
Editorial: Too Many Maternal Deaths
The death of a pregnant woman can only be a tragedy. But the loss of 2016 Olympic medalist Tori Bowie, a Mississippi native who died in May from childbirth complications, also serves as a reminder that America’s maternal mortality rate is far too high.
Bowie was eight months pregnant and was in labor when she died alone in her Florida residence. The medical examiner said she suffered from eclampsia, a condition related to high blood pressure that for a pregnant woman can lead to seizures, a coma or respiratory distress.
The Washington Post reported that the number of American women who die while giving birth or shortly afterward has been increasing since 2018, when 658 mothers lost their lives. By 2021, that figure had risen to 1,205. It makes America the riskiest nation among high-income countries to give birth.
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“Much more common but often overlooked are the near misses, the life-threatening complications experienced before, during and after childbirth,” the Post reported. “Research shows that for every maternal death, about 100 women experience severe maternal morbidity, meaning childbirth would have been nearly lethal for about 120,500 women in 2021.”
To make matters more challenging, health statistics say Black women are twice as likely to suffer serious complications during pregnancy and three times as likely to die, regardless of their income or education.
A California study has shown that up to 80% of that state’s maternity deaths are preventable, and the Post said that number is aligned with national studies that say the same thing.
Black mothers interviewed by the Post say that too many medical care providers dismiss concerns of young Black mothers or those without a college education. And a 2022 federal report says that mental health conditions have become a driving factor in maternal health. It also may be that too many women skip prenatal care.
This issue is particularly relevant for Mississippi, where maternal mortality is one of our many worst-in-the-nation health indicators. According to the latest data, for every 100,000 live births, 50 Mississippi mothers will die, a rate that is more than 50% higher than the national average.
There are unanswered questions about Bowie’s death. Despite being eight months pregnant, she weighed only 96 pounds. Her agent assumed Bowie was receiving proper prenatal care but didn’t know for sure. The agent also said Bowie was determined not to have her baby in a hospital, but had not mentioned any complications with her pregnancy.
Hopefully Bowie will be remembered for her achievements in life rather than by the way she died. Raised by her grandmother, Bowie became an NCAA long jump champion at the University of Southern Mississippi in 2011. Five years later, she won three medals at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro: a gold in the 4 x 100-meter relay, silver in the 100-meter dash and bronze in the 200.
But the death of Bowie and her unborn child is a signal that the country must do more to address maternal mortality rates. We do not value life if we ignore this problem.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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