Below is the transcript of an interview that Dr. Henning Tiemeier, Harvard University, conducted with us. It aired on Sunday, July 3, 2022 on Face the Nation.
MARGARET BRENNAN Dr. Henning Tiemeier, the Harvard University director of the Maternal Health Task Force, joins us now. Doctor, good morning.
DR. HENNING TIMEIER: Good morning, Margaret.
MARGARET BRENAN: Good morning! I think this is very important because I want to talk about the state of pregnancy in America as they rewrite their laws. How is it possible that we have the highest maternal death rate in the wealthiest country in the world? And how can we prevent it getting worse?
DR. TIEMEIER (English): I’d like to add two things. First, it seems that there is a problem with the data. We think it’s higher in developed countries than it is here, so it is higher. However, we have seen an increase in data collection recently. This has been rectified, but it is still higher. Why is it so high? It is because of the overall health of American women. It is also partly due to poor health care in pregnancy and, more importantly, after delivery.
MARGARET BRENAN: The mortality rate for Black mothers is three-fold higher than that of white women. Why?
DR. TIEMEIER – That’s correct. It is significantly higher. It is. You must realize that 700 women die each year during labor or after giving birth to 700 babies. We know that many of these deaths can be prevented. They are more common in minority groups, especially Black women. This is the main challenge facing public health. We see this as the tip of the iceberg for poor health in Black women and women of color. There are many reasons why this group of women may be suffering from poor health, discrimination and poor care.
MARGARET BRENNAN In laying out your findings, I would assume that you project that the death rate of these mothers will also rise.
DR. TIEMEIER : Unfortunately, we don’t have any good projections of numbers right now. This will depend on many issues that you’ve already touched on, such as legal issues and access to abortion in other countries. We know that abortion is more common for minorities and those in poverty. Because they are unable to access abortion outside of the state, we believe it will have a negative impact on their mental and physical health. How many people will die? We don’t know. It’s very difficult. It will. It will. It’s hard. I don’t have a number. It all depends on many other factors, um yes.
MARGARET BRENNAN It doesn’t end after two months. It continues for much longer. Women can have pelvic exams after giving birth and can also get other services. Mississippi isn’t one of the states that does this. What happens if you aren’t able to access health care for two months?
DR. TIEMEIER : What you’re pointing to now is one the major issues and one that could be quickly addressed. There are many states. Mississippi is one. But Texas, another, is important. It has a lot of Medicaid recipients that have not expanded their Medicaid. They haven’t accepted the Affordable Care Act offer of expanding health care for women within the first year. I think it should be expanded beyond that, even if it is only one year. This means you have very limited rights and very low coverage. These states only cover the very, very poor. However, many poor women are also low-income. Women who struggle to save enough money and time to get insurance are not covered for mental health or physical checks. They will also not be covered for the necessary pelvic exams. You’re right.
MARGARET BRENNAN says America now looks a lot differently than it did in 1973. Brookings estimates that 40% of American households have women as their primary breadwinner. So, I wanted to know if you think it’s important for women to be able to recover from childbirth. As you all know, paid family leave is not guaranteed by the federal government in this country. These women must work in order to support their families. Or at the very least, they are being paid for their work.
DR. TIEMEIER (German): This is a very important topic. It is often overlooked. Although I am aware that the Vice President spoke on some of these issues, it is important to remember that there are many ways to improve maternal health. One would be to improve prenatal care. The other would be to improve postnatal healthcare, but also to support families and especially poor and disadvantaged families to buy them time. Giving them paid leave is important, as having children is stressful on the system. Imagine that you have three children and then have to have a fourth. You will need to earn a living, but you won’t have the time or money to breastfeed. This is why we see that breastfeeding isn’t increasing as much as we would like. So, I —
MARGARET BRENNAN: –Doctor–
DR. TIEMEIER : –argue yes. Many of my colleagues agree that we need more time.
MARGARET BRENAN: We will continue to cover your research. We are grateful. These issues will also be covered on the program. It’s okay to stop there. We’ll be back in a second.
