Australia’s nationwide preterm birth prevention program is a medical success and one the United States could learn from. A “preterm birth” is defined as a baby born before 37 weeks, and is the single greatest cause of death and long-term disabilities in children under 5. Australia’s new initiative is the first of its kind across the world and has lowered the rate of preterm and early term births by between 7% and 10%, or about 4,000 fewer early births a year.
The Australian Preterm Birth Prevention Alliance marked a turning point in how the country approached maternal health. Instead of treating complications after they happened, the program focused on prevention and education from the start. The approach includes training every healthcare provider to recognize early warning signs and use proven interventions such as progesterone treatment, low-dose aspirin, and cervical screening. These preventive measures were offered for free or at very low cost, removing one of the biggest barriers for women in rural and low-income communities. With steady funding and transparent results, the Alliance made reproductive care accessible to all in Australia.
Prior to Australia’s preterm birth prevention program, around 8.6% of Australian babies were born preterm, translating to roughly 26,000 births each year. Indigenous and low-income women experienced significantly higher rates of preterm birth compared to non-Indigenous mothers. Between 2016 and 2018, First Nations women had a preterm birth rate of 13.8%, nearly 1.7 times higher than that of non-Indigenous mothers at 8.4%. For many women in rural and remote communities, access to specialized maternal services was inconsistent, leaving them more vulnerable to complications during pregnancy.
Limited staffing in many hospitals also made it difficult to provide consistent and safe prenatal care. In rural areas especially, women often faced shorter checkups or had to schedule births around the hospital’s availability rather than their own health needs. As Professor John Newnham notes, “many women would be delivering days early to suit the hospital schedule.”
The overall burden of preterm birth remained high among socioeconomically disadvantaged groups which is also a pattern mirrored in the United States, where Black women are about 50% more likely to give birth prematurely. The consistent link between social inequality and preterm birth underscores that reproductive health is not just a medical issue, but a reflection of systemic inequities in access, education, and economic opportunity.
After the preterm birth prevention program went into effect, it immediately had an impact, as shown in the 2025 Lancet study. A notable success was the case of Wendy Andrews who was admitted to the hospital at 31 weeks and six days when her blood pressure spiked. Thanks to the program, her doctors were able to closely monitor her condition and safely delivery at 35 weeks. Her daughter was born weighing 1.9 kilograms, needed no resuscitation, and spent just two weeks in special care. Before the program, a case like Wendy’s might have ended with an emergency premature birth and weeks, if not months, of intensive care.
Australia’s success in reducing preterm births shows what’s possible when a country treats maternal health as a collective responsibility rather than an individual burden. Through national coordination, steady public funding, and accessible education, Australia shifted its approach from reacting to crises to preventing them altogether. Australia has proven improving maternal health means addressing the social factors that shape it. Reproductive justice is not only about the right to have a choice, but also the right to deliver safely and with support.