A brand new nationwide examine has revealed the ten U.S. states the place maternity care is most in danger — with extreme midwife shortages and excessive preterm beginning charges creating harmful situations for anticipating moms.
The analysis, performed by the Delivery Damage Legal professionals Group, analyzed the supply of midwives and preterm beginning charges throughout all 50 states to rank the place maternity care entry and outcomes are most regarding. Every state acquired a Maternity Danger Rating out of 100, calculated utilizing two key indicators:
- Common Births to Midwife Ratio (2023) — reflecting what number of births every licensed midwife handles on common.
- Common Preterm Delivery Charges (2018–2022) — the share of infants born earlier than 37 weeks’ gestation.
The next rating represents larger maternity care issues, from restricted entry to expert professionals to elevated charges of early or medically difficult births.
Southern and Midwestern States Face the Most Alarming Dangers
The outcomes present a transparent sample: Southern and Midwestern states dominate the checklist, highlighting ongoing disparities in maternal healthcare. Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana rank as the highest three states with probably the most extreme challenges, whereas Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas additionally seem among the many high six.
These states usually endure from widespread maternal care deserts — areas the place hospitals and authorized midwives are scarce or totally unavailable, forcing girls to journey lengthy distances for important prenatal care.
In distinction, states like Massachusetts, Oregon, and Washington carry out a lot better, with stronger midwifery networks, higher prenatal packages, and better healthcare funding per beginning.
The ten U.S. States With the Highest Maternity Danger
| Rank | State | Maternity Danger Rating (/100) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mississippi | 100 |
| 2 | Alabama | 91 |
| 3 | Louisiana | 79 |
| 4 | Arkansas | 77 |
| 5 | Oklahoma | 73 |
| 6 | Texas | 70 |
| 7 | Missouri | 63 |
| 8 | Nevada | 61.8 |
| 9 | South Carolina | 61.6 |
| 10 | Nebraska | 60 |
A Rising Nationwide Disaster
The examine highlights how the shortage of midwives is contributing to worsening maternal well being outcomes throughout the U.S. Midwives play a significant function not simply in delivering infants however in offering important prenatal, postnatal, and preventative care. When states have too few licensed midwives, anticipating moms usually tend to expertise delays in care, increased stress throughout being pregnant, and poorer beginning outcomes.
A spokesperson for the Delivery Damage Legal professionals Group mentioned:
“The analysis reveals that many states are struggling to supply enough maternity look after anticipating moms, pushed by extreme midwife shortages and excessive preterm beginning charges.
States with restricted midwifery assist and underfunded maternal healthcare infrastructure are likely to create much more harmful environments for anticipating moms than these with strong, accessible care programs.
To deal with these challenges, states should prioritize growing the variety of licensed midwives, implementing stronger prenatal packages, and guaranteeing maternity care is on the market in each city and rural areas. Broader healthcare reform might additionally play a significant function in bettering the security and high quality of look after moms nationwide.”
Understanding the Maternity Danger Rating
The Maternity Danger Rating was developed to supply a transparent, data-led comparability of how properly every U.S. state helps anticipating moms. As an illustration, Texas, which ranks sixth total, recorded a median of 61.31 births per midwife and a preterm beginning fee of 11.04%, giving it a complete rating of 70/100.
Whereas not the very best on the checklist, the findings present how states with huge rural populations and restricted midwifery infrastructure — reminiscent of Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas — face distinctive challenges in guaranteeing equitable entry to maternal care.
These shortages are significantly pronounced in counties the place hospitals have closed maternity wards or the place transportation boundaries restrict entry to prenatal checkups and birthing facilities.
Methodology
The examine analyzed midwife shortages and preterm beginning charges throughout all 50 U.S. states to find out total maternity threat ranges. Two core metrics had been used to calculate every state’s Maternity Danger Rating out of 100:
- Common Births to Midwife Ratio (2023) — scored out of fifty factors. States with increased births per licensed nurse-midwife (CNM/CM) acquired increased threat scores.
- Common Preterm Delivery Charge (2018–2022) — scored out of fifty factors. States with increased charges of preterm births (earlier than 37 weeks’ gestation) scored increased for threat.
These two scores had been totaled to rank states from highest to lowest threat, with increased scores indicating larger maternity care issues.
Information Sources:
The analysis was performed by the Delivery Damage Legal professionals Group, a nationwide community of attorneys advocating for households affected by medical negligence.
