America’s Maternal Mortality Crisis, Part 1

Next Question with Katie Couric

Katie Couric Media

News, Health, Society & Culture, Commentary, Documentary,, Health & Fitness

4.4 • 4.7K Ratings

🗓️ 23 April 2020

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Long before COVID-19 hit the U.S. in early 2020, the American health system was suffering another crisis: alarmingly high — and rising — rates of maternal mortality, particularly among black women. In this country, an estimated two women die every day from pregnancy and childbirth-related causes. And 60 percent of those deaths could have been prevented. And now, the coronavirus is forcing tens of thousands of women to give birth in unprecedented circumstances — sometimes alone, and often without the support networks they need to stay healthy.

In Part 1 of a special episode of “Next Question with Katie Couric,” Katie talks to Charles Johnson, whose wife Kira died in 2016 just hours after giving birth to their second son, Langston. “I thought that what happened to Kira was an isolated incident,” Charles tells Katie. “I thought, this doesn’t happen in 2016, in our country.” Why are women like Kira Johnson — healthy, prepared, and insured — dying? And how did the U.S. become one of the most dangerous places in the developed world to have a baby?

Guests and resources for this episode include:

Charles Johnson, founder of 4Kira4Moms, a non-profit dedicated to maternal mortality advocacy.
Dr. Debra Bingham, founder and executive director of the Institute for Perinatal Quality Improvement, and associate professor at the University of Maryland
Monica Rose McLemore, associate professor in the family health care nursing department at the University of California, San Francisco
Nina Martin, an investigative reporter at ProPublica and co-author of the award-winning ProPublica and NPR series “Lost Mothers.”

For more information, sign up for Katie Couric’s newsletter Wake-Up Call at KatieCouric.com.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Picture Miami. Picture its beaches. Picture three radio journalists assassinated in cold blood.
0:09.2	This is silenced, the radio murders.
0:12.4	You left the body there for reason. It was the calling card. It's like the mafia used to do.
0:17.2	The mastermind has never been caught. To find him, we had to go deep into a world of drugs and darkness.
0:24.4	And there were these hints of a much bigger conspiracy.
0:28.8	I clearly gave it me the light.
0:30.8	I was voloshing. Listen to silenced, the radio murders.
0:34.4	On the iHot Radio app, Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
0:40.4	Our 20s are often seen as this golden decade. Our time to be carefree, make mistakes and figure out our lives.
0:47.2	But what can psychology teach us about this time?
0:50.8	I'm Jermis Beg, the host of the psychology of your 20s.
0:54.6	Each week, we take a deep dive into a unique aspect of our 20s.
0:58.6	From career anxiety, mental health, heartbreak, money and much more to explore the science behind our experiences.
1:05.8	The psychology of your 20s hosted by me, Jermis Beg.
1:09.8	Listen now on the iHot Radio app, Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
1:17.8	The one you feed is a podcast that explores how you can support your mental health.
1:22.2	I'm your host, Eric Zimmer, and through insightful interviews with psychologists,
1:26.2	spiritual teachers, researchers and more. We share the stories that help you feel less alone in your struggles.
1:32.2	We offer practical ways to support your mental health even in difficult times.
1:36.6	And we teach you how to live with more joy and less anxiety.
1:40.6	Learn what good mental health can mean for you, especially now during mental health awareness month.
1:45.8	Listen to the one you feed on the iHot Radio app, Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Katie Couric Media, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Katie Couric Media and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.