DEADLY DELIVERY - THE MATERNAL HEALTH CARE CRISIS IN THE UNITED STATES

This segment of GLOBAL IMPACT addresses the maternal health care crisis in the United States. Our special guest will be Mr. Josh Rubenstein of Amnesty International. We will be discussing Amnesty International's newly published report concerning the maternal health crisis in the USA. The report is based on research carried out during 2008 and 2009 by Amnesty International USA. Amnesty International conducted over 100 in-depth interviews an 17 focus groups with women, their families, activists, advocates, public health experts, support workers, services providers and health workers across the United States. The total amount spent on health care in the USA is greater than in any other country in the world. Hospitalization related to pregnancy and childbirth costs some US$86 billion a year; the highest hospitalizations costs of any area of medicine. Despite this, women in the USA have a greater lifetime risk of dying of pregnancy-related complications than women in 40 other countries. African-American women are at especially high risk; they are nearly four times more likely to die of pregnancy-related complications than white women. Even for white women in the USA, however, the maternal mortality ratios are higher than for women in 24 other industrialized countries. These rates and disparities have not improved in more than 20 years. Maternal mortality ratios have actually increased from a low 6.6 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1987 to 13.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2006. While some of the increase may be due to improved data collection, the fact that mortality ratios have doubled is a cause for concern. The discussion will address maternal health and human rights, discrimination and maternal health, barriers to maternal health care services, systemic failures and accountability. Please join us for this very provocative segment of GLOBAL IMPACT.