UN Report Highlights Crisis In Black Maternal Health Across The Americas

The Washington Post:
U.N.: Black Maternal Health In Crisis Across Hemisphere, Not Just In U.S.

Black women in the Americas bear a heavier burden of maternal mortality than their peers, but according to a report released Wednesday by the United Nations, the gap between who lives and who dies is especially wide in the world’s richest nation — the United States. Of the region’s 35 countries, only four publish comparable maternal mortality data by race, according to the report, which analyzed the maternal health of women and girls of African descent in the Americas: Brazil, Colombia, Suriname and the United States. And while the United States had the lowest overall maternal mortality rate among those four nations, the report said Black women and girls were three times more likely than their U.S. peers to die while giving birth or in the six weeks afterward. (Johnson, 7/12)

In other reproductive health news —

KFF Health News:
With More People Giving Birth At Home, Montana Passed A Pair Of Laws To Make It Easier

Ashley Jones’ three children were born in three different places — a hospital, a birth center, and at home. Jones, who is 31 and lives in Belgrade, Montana, said she had “zero control over what was going on” during her hospital birth. Jones wanted a midwife to help deliver her third child, and after finding one she clicked with, she decided to go with a home birth. “I felt like I was in control of everything and she was there to listen to what I needed from her,” Jones said. (Larson, 7/12)

Axios:
Health Tech Startup Mahmee Tackles Gaps In Pregnancy Care

Mahmee, a maternal health startup first formed in 2014, recently rolled out a new pregnancy care membership program in an effort to lower the U.S.’ maternal mortality rate outside the traditional medical setting. Mahmee offers wraparound services for people navigating pregnancy and childbirth and has served over 20,000 people, according to Amanda Williams, Mahmee’s medical director who is also an adviser to the Stanford-based California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative. (Chen, 7/11)

Fox News:
AI Babies: New Technology Is Helping Fertility Docs Choose The Best Embryos For IVF 

It’s been shown to detect cancer, pinpoint cavities and answer medical questions — and now, artificial intelligence may help fertility doctors select the ideal embryo for in-vitro fertilization (IVF). With one in every five U.S. adult married women unable to get pregnant after a year of trying, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), many turn to IVF for help. The fertility treatment is responsible for between 1% and 2% of all births in the country. (Rudy, 7/12)

Stat:
A New Study Sees Potential In DNA Sequencing Of Infants

There’s growing evidence that DNA sequencing can help diagnose the health care system’s youngest patients — babies in their first year of life. But a new report resurfaces a thorny challenge in researchers’ quest to turn long strings of A’s, T’s, G’s, and C’s into information doctors and patients can use: Reading the genome is one challenge, interpreting it is another. (Wosen, 7/11)

On child care and paid family leave —

Reuters:
VP Kamala Harris Unveils Proposed Rule Change To Cut US Childcare Costs

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday announced new steps to lower the cost of childcare for American families with a proposal that would cap co-payments under a block grant program that serves 1.5 million children and their families each month. “This is a critical issue for almost every family in our country,” Harris told reporters. “Low-income families often spend one-third, one-third of their yearly income on childcare, more than they spend on their rent or mortgage.” (7/11)

AP:
Workers In Maine Will Get Paid Family And Medical Leave Starting In 2026 

Most Maine workers will get up to 12 weeks of paid time off for family or medical reasons as part of a supplemental budget Democratic Gov. Janet Mills signed into law on Tuesday. The spending bill included $25 million in startup costs for the state program which allows workers — starting in 2026 — to receive paid leave to deal with illness, to care for a relative, or for the birth of a child. (Sharp, 7/11)