Dense with statistics and findings but worth the time to understand, this report looks at non-obstetrical causes of maternal mortality, researchers have important findings that show how such deaths are rooted in racism and structural inequality in housing, community violence and safety, and access to mental health and substance use services.
As is often true of non-medical causes of mortality, virtually all of these deaths are preventable. While focusing on the medical causes of maternal mortality — particularly for Black women with their elevated risk of death from cardiovascular and other medical conditions — it may be equally important to focus on and prioritize reducing deaths from transport accidents among Indigenous mothers, preventing homicide and assault deaths among Black mothers so often associated with IPV, addressing the disproportionate impact of suicide among Asian/Pacific Islander mothers, and reducing drug overdose deaths among White mothers.