I SUSPECT THAT THIS IS LARGELY WHY “MATERNAL MORTALITY” APPEARS TO BE INCREASING:  Doctors now classify a death as pregnancy-related where they didn’t used to.  One can argue over whether a suicide or drug overdose by a recent mother should be attributed to the pregnancy.  But, if one changes the previous policy to include such deaths, one cannot then argue that pregnancy-related deaths are increasing.  I wrote about this a few months ago (and, more significantly, about why, contrary to what some claim, the racial disparities are not the result of racist doctors and nurses).

Being on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights gives me a window into the progressive mind.  Until my progressive colleagues started suggesting that we study maternal health, I had no idea how much attention that issue was getting.  It even made it into Biden’s SOTU address.  The most commonly offered solution is to hire large numbers of “doulas” to assist African American mothers with birth.