The U. S. ranks second to last among industrialized countries in newborn survival rates, according to a new study. Not surprisingly, this varies along income and racial lines, with infants born to higher-income, white families more likely to survive.
The researchers claim that in the U. S., lack of national health insurance and short maternity leaves can lead to poor prenatal care, increasing the risk of premature births and low birth weight, the leading causes of infant mortality in industrialized countries. Other risk factors may include teen pregnancies and obesity rates. They note that all of these factors disproportionately affect African- American women.
The racial and economic issues are the big ones here. I’ll also point out, however, that the lack of health insurance coverage for same-sex partners and the lack of legal recognition for non-bio moms puts the children of lesbian and gay parents at greater risk, too. A stay-at-home bio mom who cannot obtain health insurance through her partner’s employer may have poorer prenatal care. Their children may also not be able to receive coverage. Yet many still say that not recognizing same-sex relationships is somehow good for the children of this country. Good thing the demographics are changing.
I have put a link to LGBT Family day on my blog.
Luckily health care companies in this country (Australia) does recognise same-sex families but our infant mortality rates for our indigenous population is shameful!
In fact the United States has an infant mortality rate that is among the best in the world. The problem is that the United States measures infant mortality differently than most of the rest of the industrialized world, so a direct comparison between the United States’ infant mortality rate and, say, Japan’s, is high misleading.
When Is A Dead Baby Not A Dead Baby
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