Maternal mortality rates have declined significantly across the world since the turn of the century, but global health experts fear that progress could be rolled back as a result of the Trump administration's cuts to U.S. foreign aid.

Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births dropped by about 40 percent worldwide between 2000 and 2023, according to a recent report from the World Health Organization (WHO).

The WHO said women today are more likely to survive childbirth than ever but warned that cuts to foreign aid pose a “threat of major backsliding” in that progress.

"The report comes as humanitarian funding cuts are having severe impacts on essential health care in many parts of the world, forcing countries to roll back vital services for maternal, newborn and child health," the United Nations health agency said in a release accompanying the report.

"These cuts have led to facility closures and loss of health workers, while also disrupting supply chains for lifesaving supplies and medicines such as treatments for hemorrhage, pre-eclampsia and malaria – all leading causes of maternal deaths."

President Trump and his administration have taken a series of actions to slash foreign aid since his return to the White House in January.

On his first day back in office, Trump issued an executive order freezing all foreign aid for 90 days. Shortly thereafter, the Trump administration issued a stop-work order on foreign assistance awards and then announced the United States Agency for International........

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