Group says more maternal care needed in N.D.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The human rights group Amnesty International USA says unequal and inadequate access to maternal care allows two to three women to die each day while giving birth in the United States.

And the group says the problem is acute in North Dakota, where federal statistics say there are 10.7 deaths per 100,000 live births. That's far above the federal goal of 4.3 per 100,000 live births.

The group says many of the deaths could have been prevented had adequate maternal or other care been obtained.

There are obstacles: In North Dakota, more than 10 percent of women are uninsured and 40 percent live in medically underserved areas.

Amnesty International says the pending health care overhaul fails to address what the group says is a ``crisis in maternal health care.'

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