In response to a new study evaluating the current mainstream method of identifying maternal deaths in the US, March of Dimes said that while it's well known that the nation's system of assessing maternal deaths is imperfect, the maternal mortality rate remains unacceptably high and cause for great alarm.
March of Dimes President and CEO Dr. Elizabeth Cherot issued the following statement:
"The challenge of accurately measuring maternal deaths is a decades-long issue and the inclusion of the pregnancy checkbox on US death certificates was an attempt to standardize how the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identifies them. While many of the deaths detected through the checkbox are correct, the study authors report a lower maternal mortality rate likely due to limitations with medical coding and cause of death determinations.
The fact is, one maternal death is one too many, and we simply cannot overlook the fact that as a nation we're not doing any better at saving moms’ lives today than we were 20 years ago. What's more, the increase in indirect obstetrical deaths over the study period—specifically among women with preexisting hypertension—reiterates the need to address chronic health conditions before women become pregnant because these issues can have a deep and sustaining effect on childbirth outcomes.
I'm also concerned that by suggesting we're overestimating maternal deaths we overlook the dangers facing our nation's moms, especially Black moms. The fact that the study confirms Black moms are three times more likely to die than White moms reinforces the need to seriously address racism and discrimination within our healthcare system and beyond to close the health equity gap.
March of Dimes is a leading advocate to reauthorize Maternal Mortality Review Committees (MMRCs) through the Preventing Maternal Deaths Act. This legislation would continue to support identifying maternal deaths, analyzing the factors that contribute to those deaths, and translating the lessons into policy changes. This legislation has passed the House of Representatives, and we urge the Senate to take swift action on it.
March of Dimes believes better surveillance of maternal deaths is paramount to saving more lives and we continue to advocate for federally funded MMRCs through the CDC’s Eliminate Maternal Mortality or ERASE MM Program and Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System to provide insight into the causes of maternal deaths and how to prevent them."