COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina ranks among the worst states in the nation for maternal mortality, and a new report is calling on state leaders to address deep racial and geographic disparities in access to care.
The report from the Institute of Medicine and Public Health found that Black women in South Carolina are dying from pregnancy-related complications at nearly twice the rate of white women. In 2021, the maternal mortality rate for Black women was around 71 deaths per 100,000 live births, compared to almost 37 deaths for white women.