The Pennsylvania Department of Health will soon be required to track the health issues that mothers go through during pregnancy and birth, as part of an effort to address the state’s high maternal death rates. The General Assembly sent a bill to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk last week that would require the Department of Health […]
Pa. House unanimously passes bill combating maternal morbidity
A bill to combat Pennsylvania’s high maternal morbidity rate unanimously passed the state House this week, and now heads to Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk for final approval. The bill, which was reintroduced this session by state Sen. Judy Schwank, D-Berks, adds “severe maternal morbidity” to the list of reportable events within the Pennsylvania Department of Health. “Accurate and regular […]
5 takeaways from AP’s series on health disparities impacting Black Americans
Black women have the highest maternal mortality rate in the United States — 69.9 per 100,000 live births for 2021, almost three times the rate for white women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The 2021 rate was a significant increase from the prior year. Black babies are also more likely to die, and also far […]
POV: Overturning Roe v. Wade Will Worsen Health Inequities in All Reproductive Care
The recent national conversation has appropriately focused on the devastating impact of limiting or banning access to abortion care. Conservative estimates show that in the year following the overturning of Roe, at least 75,000 people who want, but cannot get, abortions will give birth instead. And these people are facing higher than ever—and rising—pregnancy-related mortality rates. […]
Report: Black women account for 73% of Philadelphia’s pregnancy-related deaths
A report by the Philadelphia Maternal Mortality Review Committee has found that non-Hispanic Black women made up 43% of births in Philadelphia from 2013 to 2018 but accounted for 73% of the pregnancy-related deaths. The “Improving Outcomes: Maternal Mortality in Philadelphia” report indicates pregnancy-related deaths in the city from 2013 to 2018 was approximately 20 per […]
