Plan to stem maternal death

New Jersey is one of the most dangerous U.S. states for women to give birth, particularly Black women, who are seven times more likely to die from pregnancyrelated complications in the state than white women. A new bill establishing a universal home nurse visitation program for newborns is designed to help address that.

The bill, which Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law Thursday, is part of a broader plan to reduce the maternal mortality rate in the state, which experts say is the fourth highest in the country.

For every 100,000 live births in New Jersey last year, more than 26 women died because of pregnancyrelated complications, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.