Health

‘The CDC figures were just so striking’: Experts react to report that maternal mortality rates, especially in Black and Hispanic women, increased in 2020

"My reaction to the statistics was that we have so long to go."

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March 9, 2022

4 minutes to read

The rates of women dying due to maternal causes increased in 2020 in the United States, according to the CDC.

It wasn’t unexpected, given the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was a higher increase than anticipated, especially for Black and Hispanic women, according to Dr. Summer Hawkins, a social epidemiologist at Boston College who focuses on the health of women and children. And the rate of Black women dying was “significantly higher” than the rate for white women, the CDC reported.

“The CDC figures were just so striking,” Hawkins said in a recent interview with Boston.com.

She noted that the death rate for Black women increased from 44 per 100,000 in 2019 to 55.3 per 100,000 in 2020.

The CDC uses the World Health Organization’s definition of a maternal mortality, which includes several factors. It is defined as a woman dying while pregnant or within 42 days of having an abortion, regardless of the length, or site, of the pregnancy. The death has to be related to the pregnancy, but not from incidental or accidental causes.

For Hispanic women, the death rate went from 12.6 per 100,000 in 2019 to 18.2 in 2020, a difference that the CDC also referred to as “significant.” The increase for white women — 17.9 per 100,000 in 2019 to 19.1 in 2020 — wasn’t considered significant by the CDC.

“It is important to recognize that prior to the pandemic Black women had a maternal mortality rate 2 to 4 times higher than white women, but another finding important to highlight is, previously, Hispanic women had similar to lower rates of maternal mortality compared to white women,” Hawkins said. “The report also shows that their maternal mortality rate increased significantly, as well. White women were the only group that their rate did not increase over the last year. COVID itself is an important contributor.”

Whle it’s known that pregnant women are at a higher risk of COVID complications, prenatal care was also offered differently during the pandemic. Appointments went virtual, and delivery was different, too. But things have moved back toward the way they were prior to the pandemic.

“Now people are able to go back into clinics, delivery is now more typical to the way it was pre-pandemic, so the hope is that we would not see these same increases, but the concern again is against the backdrop of increasing trends,” Hawkins said. “We’re seeing changes not in the direction we had hoped.”

Advocacy for change

There’s also hope on the advocacy side of the issue. Laneceya Russ is the executive director of March for Moms, an organization that advocates for change in the face of rising maternal mortality.

“My initial reaction to the statistics was that we have so long to go,” Russ said of the CDC report. “With the rates increasing, it’s more important now than ever to pass legislation to combat the maternal health crisis in this country.”

This is especially true for Black and brown women, she noted.

“There’s legislation that we know can improve maternal health, but it seems to be stalled,” she said.

The Momnibus Act of 2021 is a group of 12 bills aimed at eliminating gaps in maternal health care and taking on inequality. One of the bills did pass last year – in November, Congress passed one that would give $15 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs for maternal health, according to STAT News.

“We know that this package of bills can improve the maternal health crisis in this country specifically for communities that are dying during or after childbirth,” Russ said, noting that she is hoping for more action around these proposed laws. “That’s been one of our primary goals … to amplify the Black maternal health Momnibus.”

Another aspect of the Momnibus that Russ highlighted is the Kira Johnson Act, which would provide funding to community-based organizations. The organizations provide a variety of service, including doula collectives, lactation services, and mental health care.

Then there’s the bill within the Momnibus that looks to diversify the workforce of perinatal care.

From her own experience, Russ, who is Black, said it’s important to have the otpion to see a doctor that looks like her.

“They are more willing to listen and to understand some of the health concerns that people in my community, you know, have to deal with,” she said. “I am a Black woman, so I just feel like they’re more willing to listen to some of the concerns, and be more empathetic to some of the things that I might be going through physically.”

The key to lowering the death rates in maternal care is through legislation, Russ believes.

“I do believe that the Momnibus would be the best step to improving maternity care in this country just because the whole package covers so many different issues,” Russ said. “Not only does it cover diversifying the workforce and investments in community-based organizations, it also has bills that deal with climate change and how that affects maternity care and social determinants of health, and collecting more data, and holding providers accountable if a maternal morbidity or mortality happens.”

She also believes the Biden administration is willing to work on these issues.

“I do believe our admin is dedicated to this issue and committed to making sure that it’s at the forefront of change,” Russ said. “Hopefully everyone else will be able to get on board.”