Hooray for Latvia!

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The U.S. ranks near the bottom of the statistics for infant mortality rates among modern nations. Only Latvia is worse off:

In the United States, researchers noted that the population is more racially and economically diverse than many other industrialized countries, making it more challenging to provide culturally appropriate health care.

That's it? That's the explanation? We're more culturally diverse so our babies die in greater numbers?

The U.S. ranking is driven partly by racial and income health care disparities. Among U.S. blacks, there are 9 deaths per 1,000 live births, closer to rates in developing nations than to those in the industrialized world.

There it is -- buried in the fourth paragraph. We should call that the Katrina Effect, i.e., if it's happening to poor black people, then it's OK to not take notice.

The researchers also said lack of national health insurance and short maternity leaves likely contribute to the poor U.S. rankings. Those factors can lead to poor health care before and during pregnancy, increasing risks for premature births and low birth weight, which are the leading causes of newborn death in industrialized countries.

It's pretty clear: sex education in the public schools, free contraception, liberalized abortion laws, and free health care for pregnant women are the cornerstones of the reproductive rights movement.