Women This Week: Preventable Complications Responsible for Most Maternal Deaths

New Study Reveals Stark Increase in Maternal Mortality in the U.S. in Year After Childbirth 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a new study showing that maternal deaths worldwide remain stubbornly high. In 2023 alone, approximately 260,000 women—92 percent from low and lower-middle-income countries—died from complications during and after childbirth. About 75 percent of all maternal deaths are caused by severe bleeding, infections, high blood pressure, delivery complications, and unsafe abortion practices. According to the WHO, most of these deaths could have been prevented if the women were able to access care from skilled professionals. An increase in the maternal mortality rate in the United States is further compounding this issue. New research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that pregnancy-related mortality occurring from six weeks to one year after childbirth increased by 28 percent in the United States—a country with significantly better access to health services—between 2018 and 2022. Women need “access to high-quality care from the moment of conception to a full year after birth,” said Dr. Rose L. Molina, one of the study’s authors. 

New Mexico to Create “Turquoise Alert” for Missing Indigenous Americans 

This week, the Governor of New Mexico, Michelle Lujan Grisham, signed legislation establishing a “turquoise alert” for missing Indigenous Americans. Similar to “Amber” alerts, the turquoise alert system—named after a sacred stone of the Diné, or Navajo, nation—sends a message to cellphones in the area when a Native American is reported missing. Indigenous communities in the United States have suffered from disproportionate rates of violence. In a piece last year, Representative Mike Simpson (R-ID) wrote that homicide is the third leading cause of death for American Indian and Alaskan Native women and girls between the ages of ten and twenty-four. Additionally, these groups make up an estimated 40 percent of all victims of sex trafficking nationally. Michelle Paulene Abeyta, a Diné state representative and sponsor of the bill, said, “Establishing the turquoise alert will allow the state to amplify these community-led efforts to better ensure the protection and safe return of our loved ones.” New Mexico has one of the largest Indigenous American populations per capita, with twenty-three federally recognized tribes. 

Rates of Mental Health Problems Increasing as More Women Exposed to Conflict  

Last week, UN Women released an explainer detailing the escalating mental health crisis among women in conflict-affected regions—including Afghanistan, Gaza, Georgia, and Ukraine. Currently, over 600 million women and girls are living in areas impacted by war and humanitarian collapse. Consequently, mental health challenges—including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia—are soaring. In Afghanistan, 68 percent of women report poor mental health due to draconian restrictions on the ability to move freely, work, or access education. “The situation is so severe that even talking about it makes them cry,” said Mursalina Amin, founder of Girls Toward Leadership. Despite these staggering needs, mental health receives just 1-2 percent of health funding globally, and only two percent of those affected receive care. Furthermore, access to care remains limited in low-income and crisis-affected areas, where resources are stretched thin and the stigma of mental health issues is widespread.