Point-Counterpoint: Infant Mortality Rates in the U.S.

P:

The infant mortality rate is the average number of infants that will die out of every thousand births. The United States, being a heavily industrialized country should be number one, right? Nope, that would be Iceland (2.9). Well, at least they’d be in the top ten, right? Nope. Top 25? Keep going.

The United States ranks a pitiful 33rd in infant mortality rates at 6.3 infant deaths per 1000 births. Now this is far from the rates of the middle ages and even a great improvement from a hundred years ago, but compared to modern countries, the USA just doesn’t stack up. We are behind the following countries: Singapore, Slovenia, Cuba, Cypress, and New Caldonia.

Iceland is number one. I can’t remember Iceland winning anything against the US since Mighty Ducks 2, and even then the US team beat them in the rematch. Emilio Estevez and knucklepucks aside, we need to look at why so many babies are dying in the U.S.

The main difference in the U.S. from the other countries is healthcare. The U.S. and South Africa are the only industrialized nations without national healthcare. This has resulted in poor people, especially minorities, having much higher infant mortality rates. While most people would agree that poor people don’t have the right to rich people’s money, they should be allowed adequate access to medical care, especially when pregnant. Beat that, Counterpoint!

CP:

Point, Point, Point.

You have your data correct, but your analysis is so flawed. Sure, the health care system is not perfect, but hospitals already are bound and equipped to do all they can to help a mother and child. The United States has the best trained doctors, nurses, and medical equipment in the world. The problem is not with our brilliant delivery room personnel, but with our overambitious fertility experts and would-be moms and dads, who are willing to push the limits of science in order to have a biological baby.

We must first examine the definitions of “live birth”. Miscarriages do not count. But, if a baby is born extremely premature, takes one breath outside of its mother and dies, it counts as a live birth. With extremely advanced technologies, doctors can reasonably save these extreme preemies, and in many other countries these babies are left for dead and not counted as live births. So based on that, the US actually saves more desparate cases than other countries. Additionally, mothers are experiencing more multiple births because of fertility treatments. Triplets, quads, and so-on are much more common in the US and all of them carry significant health risks.

Sorry Singapore, but I'll have my baby born in the States.

Sources: http://baby.families.com/blog/why-the-us-infant-mortality-rate-is-so-high
http://baby.families.com/blog/why-the-us-infant-mortality-rate-is-so-high
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2091rank.html