Recently, Georgia has led the U.S. in maternal deaths. In 2016, the maternal mortality rate in Georgia was at 39.3 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to a report from America’s Health Rankings. The runner up was New Jersey, whose maternal mortality rate was at 37.3 deaths per 100,000 live births.
A racial disparity exists on a national scale as well. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the maternity mortality rate to live birth ratio in 2011 to 2013 was:
- 12.7 deaths per 100,000 live births for white women.
- 43.5 deaths per 100,000 live births for black women.
- 14.4 deaths per 100,000 live births for women of other races.
These reports included deaths that came from a variety of causes related to pregnancies that were carried to full terms and that were also terminated. According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, 60 percent of the maternal deaths in Georgia in 2013 occurred within 42 days after the pregnancy ended.
