California has among the lowest death rates nationally among pregnant women and new mothers, but the numbers for Black mothers tell a different story. During his campaign, President Biden lauded California’s efforts to reduce deaths, and in April, he proclaimed Black Maternal Health Week. Maternal deaths within a year of pregnancy hit a low in 2012, with fewer than 10 per 100,000 live births. From 2014-16 in California, about 56 Black women died per 100,000 live births, compared with 13 Asians, 11 Latinas and fewer than 10 whites. California’s Black women died at six times the rate of white women, up from three times the rate in 2008.

Source: Los Angeles Times September 27, 2021 17:48 UTC