PBS高端访谈:比起英国和沙特阿拉伯,为什么美国女性难产致死的人数更多?

 　　ALISON STEWART: The number of women in the U.S. who die in childbirth is nearing the highest rate in a quarter-century. An estimated 18.5 mothers died for every 100,000 births in 2013, compared with 7.2 in 1987.

　　The Post reports that this translates to, quote, "a woman giving birth here is twice as likely to die than in Saudi Arabia and three times as likely than in the United Kingdom."

　　"Washington Post" reporter Danielle Paquette, who wrote the story, joins us.

　　Danielle, in your piece, there is a startling line, and I am just going read it. It says, "the United States is the only advanced economy in the world with a rising maternal¹ mortality rate."

　　What is going on in this country as opposed to other advanced economies that is causing this problem?

　　DANIELLE PAQUETTE, REPORTER, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Well, Alison, this problem confounds a lot in the medical community. There is not one thing driving the problem.

　　Experts I have spoken to tell me that certain parts of the country there is — there are gaps in health insurance coverage², especially in the South. For example, Mississippi has one of the highest maternal mortality rates, that the state did not expand Medicaid.

　　There's something like 100,000 people who don't have access to any healthcare. And many of them are women. We have in Mississippi 160 doctors for every 100,000 residents. That drives part of this problem.

　　ALISON STEWART: One of the interesting things in your piece is that the problems are described as preventable. So what's stopping people from preventing them?

　　DANIELLE PAQUETTE: Well, some doctors say it is something as simple as getting a routine checkup. So many women lack access to healthcare, especially in the South. And so maybe just something as simple going to that doctor and saying, hey, something doesn't feel right. Help me out.

　　Another thing is a social reason. Oftentimes doctors will see women, women might say something feels off, something is not right. And a physician might write that off as stress or perhaps just paranoia³.

　　And that – that same women (ph), some nurses say may go home and then she may enter premature⁴ labor⁵ and she may start bleeding. If she would have been at the hospital at the time of this, you know, that could possibly have saved her life.

　　ALISON STEWART: This makes me think that this is just a very stark⁶ example of the bigger issue of that certain populations in this country, based on whether it is race or based on economic standing⁷, have better access to better healthcare.

　　DANIELLE PAQUETTE: It is incredible to see the numbers. Risk varies drastically by race. In some parts of the country, African-American women are nearly twice as likely to die of pregnancy-related complications.

　　ALISON STEWART: Danielle Paquette from "The Washington Post," thank you for sharing your reporting.

　　DANIELLE PAQUETTE: Thank you, Alison.

1 maternal   

adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的

参考例句：

• He is my maternal uncle.他是我舅舅。
• The sight of the hopeless little boy aroused her maternal instincts.那个绝望的小男孩的模样唤起了她的母性。

2 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

3 paranoia   

n.妄想狂，偏执狂；多疑症

参考例句：

• Her passion for cleanliness borders on paranoia.她的洁癖近乎偏执。
• The push for reform is also motivated by political paranoia.竞选的改革运动也受到政治偏执狂症的推动。

4 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。

5 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

6 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。

7 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。