Amnesty International lashes US
Published:Friday | March 12, 2010 | 5:57 PM
Amnesty International has called for US President Barack Obama to tackle soaring rates of maternal mortality and pregnancy-related complications.
According to Amnesty, these incidents particularly affect minorities and those living in poverty.
Amnesty made the call in its latest report called Deadly Delivery: The Maternal Health Care Crisis in the USA.
The report urges the US to tackle what Amnesty calls a crisis.
It says between two and three women die every day during pregnancy and childbirth in the USA.
A total of 1.7 million women a year, or one-third of those pregnant in the US, suffer from pregnancy-related complications.
The report also revealed that severe pregnancy-related complications that may cause death are rising at an alarming rate of 25 per cent since 1998.
It said minorities, those living in poverty, native Americans, immigrant women and those who speak little or no English are particularly affected.