Black-White Inequities In Pregnancy-Related Mortality In The US: What Will It Take To Move The Needle? Tiffany L. Green May 14, 2026

https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/briefs/black-white-inequities-pregnancy-related-mortality?utm_campaign=health+policy+brief&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--hATNq6RYsNvwUQiZltSSfMdw5F-73poXBYxyYTzayyJqSbmlvlsXPRXEFTL7Ub_HAaoZ1Jjjh01PK5GyLb5savz7NPg&_hsmi=419001099&utm_source=hasu Key Points Researchers first documented population-level Black-White inequities in pregnancy-related deaths more than a century ago; these inequities persist to the present day. Although maternal mortality has significantly decreased over time, rates are three times as high among Black birthing people compared with their White counterparts. Addressing racial inequities in US pregnancy-related deaths starts with identifying the strengths and limitations of the three different surveillance systems for tracking national- or state-level trends and informing evidence-based prevention strategies. The top drivers of pregnancy-related deaths differ by race and ethnicity. Prevention efforts to reduce inequities must take these differences into account. Although policy makers and researchers tend to focus on clinicians’ biases as one of the primary causes of racial inequities in pregnancy-related mortality, the evidence suggests that intervening on upstream factors, such as health and social policies, will likely be far more impactful than focusing primarily on clinicians’ behavior. Recommended strategies for reducing racial inequities in the long term include implementing universal health care, increasing monitoring for cardiovascular conditions during the prenatal and postpartum periods, eliminating barriers to abortion care, and addressing the effects of structural racism and other forms of inequality.