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U.S. pregnancy-related deaths  28% from 2018 to 2022, with stark racial disparities observed, a JAMA Network Open study found. Based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, the cross-sectional analysis of 6,283 pregnancy-related U.S. deaths found American Indian and Alaska Native women had the highest rates (106.3 deaths per 100,000 live births), followed by non-Hispanic Black women (76.9 deaths per 100,000 live births). The authors call the rates “an urgent public health priority.” Another  found heart-related maternal death rates more than doubled between 1999 and 2022, with Black women three times more likely to die than white women were. Meanwhile, the LeapFrog Group  its 2025 , finding Black women are more likely to have Cesarean sections in some hospitals. (JAMA Network Open , 4/9/25)