While global death rates for maternal mortality decreased by more than a third from 2000 to 2015, according to the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (research group funded by the Gates Foundation), in the U.S., they have increased. The New York Times reported last week that the study showed: "There were 28 maternal deaths (deaths due to complications from pregnancy or childbirth) per 100,000 births in the U.S. in 2013, up from 23 in 2005".

What is so striking is that some of the poorest countries in the world saw decreases in maternal morbidity rates while increases were extremely rare among wealthy countries.The increase is believed to be attributable to chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. Researchers theorize that an increase in obesity may be a substantial contributing factor. For more information, click the links below.

Failure to Diagnose/Treat Heart Attack

Medical Malpractice