Houston Chronicle | Todd Ackerman
January 30, 2020
Texas pregnancy-related death rate ranks in the middle of the pack among U.S. states, according to highly awaited federal statistics released Thursday, much lower than was reported four years ago but still slightly higher than the national rate.
The new statistics, the first national data on pregnancy-related deaths in more than a decade, found Texas had the 13th highest rate among 25 states highlighted in a new report on 2018 data, the first year for which comparable numbers were available. Seventy Texas women died while pregnant or within 42 days of delivering for pregnancy-related reasons that year, more than any other state.
“The death of a mother during pregnancy, childbirth or the postpartum period is a tragic loss that has an immeasurable impact on the family, community and society,” said Dr. Carla Ortique, a Texas Children’s Hospital obstetrician and vice-chair of the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee. “The CDC’s public release of 2018 maternal mortality data is very important … it maintains focus on the unacceptable rate of maternal death in our state and country.”
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