The "Culture of Life" Is Failing the Living

The United States ranks near the bottom for infant survival rates among modernized nations. A Save the Children report last year placed the United States ahead of only Latvia, and tied with Hungary, Malta, Poland and Slovakia.

In 2004, the most recent year for which statistics are available, roughly seven babies died for every 1,000 live births before reaching their first birthday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. That was down from about 26 in 1960.

Babies born to black mothers died at two and a half times the rate of those born to white mothers, according to the CDC figures.

The United States had more neonatologists and newborn intensive care beds per person than Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom - but still had a higher rate of infant mortality than any of those nations.

Doctors and analysts blame broad disparities in access to health care among racial and income groups in the United States.

Meanwhile, over the last six years the nation’s health has not gone anywhere — owing to increases in obesity, a growing number of uninsured and the persistent lack of progress in key health measures such as tobacco use, violent crime and children in poverty.

Obesity has increased to more than 25 percent today — 55 million are at significant risk for other diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and cancer. The number of Americans who are uninsured has increased to 15.8 percent of the population — an alarming 47 million Americans are living without health insurance, with more than 9 million are children.

We are indeed living in Fat City, at least if we can make it to our first birthday.