TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — On both a national and state level, maternal death statistics are slow to update. Both the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Florida Department of Health do not have data available on maternal deaths after 2020.
According to the CDC’s, the rate of maternal deaths per 100,00 mothers in 2020 was 23.8. In a year of more than 3.6 million live births, 861 mothers died in the United States.
In Florida in the same year, FDOH reported a total of 28 maternal deaths, for a rate of 13.4 maternal deaths per 1,000 births. The rate is lower in Florida than other parts of the U.S., and lower than the national level.
While some states fare better than others, maternal mortality is a big enough concern for the president that on Friday, the White House released what they called a blueprint to address the country's "maternal health crisis." Several hours later, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 1973 decision of Roe v. Wade, turning the right to have an abortion over to state legislatures.
The CDC reported Florida's birth rate was 53.4 per 1,000 women in the state in 2020. Data from the CDC and FDOH, however, shows that while much of the U.S. saw more deaths than births, as result of multiple factors including the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sunshine State did experience an increased number of births.
In addition to a rising rate of abortion in the U.S., an increase from an all-time low in 2017, the birth rate in the country is lower than years past. In some states, the birth rate is significantly lower.
Alongside higher numbers of births compared to the previous year, there was also an increase in severe maternal morbidity, according to FDOH data. Severe maternal morbidity includes "negative outcomes for the woman and infant" due to complications during the pregnancy, according to FDOH. The most recent data for Florida available showed the severe maternal morbidity rate was 20.4 per 1,000 delivery hospitalizations.
There were 4,123 severe maternal morbidity cases in 2020, the highest level since 2015.
"Severe Maternal Morbidity includes acute myocardial infarction, aneurysm, acute renal failure, adult respiratory distress syndrome, amniotic fluid embolism, cardiac arrest/ventricular fibulation, conversion of cardiac rhythm, disseminated intravascular fibrillation, eclampsia, heart failure/arrest during surgery or procedure, puerperal cerebrovascular disorders, pulmonary edema/acute heart failure, severe anesthesia complications, sepsis, shock, sickle cell disease with crisis, air and thrombotic embolism, blood products transfusion, hysterectomy, temporary tracheostomy or ventilation," according to FDOH.
For the past 50 years, abortion had been considered a part of maternal healthcare, by those who are supportive of abortion rights. In Florida, there have been more than 33,000 abortions performed in 2022. The state tracks this information through its Agency for Health Care Administration.
According to state data from AHCA, the bulk of abortions performed in 2022 have been due to social or economic reasons. The CDC's national abortion surveillance statistics reported abortion was more common by women in their twenties. Additionally, a higher percentage of abortions were performed among minority demographic groups in 2020.
The Kaiser Family Foundation had similar findings to the CDC, reporting larger percentages of minorities receiving abortion procedures than white Americans, though it's important to note that KFF's report is based on the same data as the CDC.
While not directly related, there are also gaps between minorities when it comes to access to health care and economic stability. The Federal Reserve reported minorities are more likely to have less wealth than their white counterparts.
"Black and Hispanic families have considerably less wealth than White families," according to the Federal Reserve. "Black families' median and mean wealth is less than 15 percent that of White families, at $24,100 and $142,500, respectively."
Along with economic disparity, an issue brief to U.S. Congress reported gaps in medical care access and affordability among minorities.
"The majority of Medicaid beneficiaries are racial and ethnic minorities, with over 57% of adults enrolled in Medicaid and over 67% of children enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP identifying as Black, Hispanic, Asian American, American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN), or multiracial," according to the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission.
Child care, in addition to general health care, is an expensive endeavor.
The average cost of raising a child to the age of adulthood, 18, is reportedly $12,980 annually per child in a middle-income family, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA reported in 2020 that a married, middle class couple could expect to spend more than $233,000 raising their child.
Food, education, and child care are the biggest contributors to child rearing costs, according to the agency, which administers food stamp benefits through the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program.
The cost of child care can be high. Florida's U.S. Senator, Marco Rubio, released a plan following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which he described as a "framework" for supporting mothers and their children before and after childbirth, which he called the New Parents Act.
“For years, I have emphasized that Congress can and must do more for unborn children and their mothers,” Rubio said. “We need to adopt pro-life policies that support families, rather than destroy them. This comprehensive legislation would make a real difference to American parents and children in need.”
At this stage, with states in control of abortion rights individually, it is unclear what federal efforts to address child care needs may move forward, but the issue remains complex, just as it was before the recent SCOTUS decision.
