This is too frustrating, and I haven't seen this posted elsewhere.
U.S. Babies Die at Higher Rate
Infant Mortality Rates Are Rising in U.S., While Rates in Other Countries Are Improving
For the first time in almost 50 years, infant mortality rates in the United States have worsened.
The U.S. infant mortality rate is on the rise for the first time since 1958, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2001, the infant mortality rate was 6.8 deaths per 1,000 live births -- in 2002, the rate rose to 7.0. (2003 data is not yet complete.)
We are failing our children; and yes, when I say we, I mean all of us. We let this miserable failure be (s)elected twice, and we are failing the most vulnerable people Americans.
This article seems to put an emphasis on premature births. Yes, when children are born prematurely, they are at greater risk for medical problems, and are at greater risk for long-term health problems. But there is a reason why children are born prematurely; and that is because we don't put an emphasis on prenatal care.
People who are poor have less access to pre-natal care. There are no ifs, ands or buts about this. The worst rates of infant mortality are in the poorest parts of the country, and in the states were the government doesn't care about the poor, who think that government, along with the baby, deserves to be drowned.
The right says it hates abortion. I think that it is safe to say that everyone hates abortion, but as Sen. Clinton has said, people who are pro-choice want abortion to be safe, legal, and rare. The right wants abortion to be dangerous and illegal. They don't care if it is common or rare, as long as it is illegal. They don't care if the the poor don't have access to health care; they don't care.
Denying health care, denying approval of vaccines that could help improve the health of men, women, and children. All they care about is denial.
We are slipping back to a developing country - in many places we are a developing country
Within the United States, there are important differences in the infant mortality rates between racial groups and across geographic boundaries.
Infant mortality rates tends to trend with socio-economic status," said Dr. Nancy Green, medical director for the March of Dimes. "African-Americans have much, much higher rates of infant mortality than other groups."
The rate among African-Americans is nearly double that of the general population: 13.9 versus 7.0. Rates among some other ethnic minorities also tend to be higher: the infant mortality rate among Puerto Ricans is 8.2, and for Native Americans, the rate is 9.1.
"Some of that is due to poverty but it doesn't track perfectly with poverty," said Green. The infant mortality rate among Central and South American immigrants, for example, is only 5.1.
Infant mortality rates also vary from state to state. "The states in the Southeast tend to have higher infant mortality rates than others," said Green. Most of the Southeast has rates exceeding 7.5, while most West Coast and Northeast states have rates below 6.2.
Sorry about moving the conversation away from Alito and Reid.