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Babies born outside marriage in England
and Wales are much more likely to die before their first birthday
than those born to married couples.
The infant death rate was 45%
higher for babies born out of wedlock in 2000 than
for those born within marriage, the Office for National Statistics
said.
The figures showed that the average infant
mortality rate for babies whose parents were married was 4.8
per 1,000 births, compared with a rate for babies of unwed
parents of 6.6 deaths per 1,000 births.
The figure was 45% higher (8 deaths per
1,000) for babies born to parents who were not living together
at the time of the birth, and 38% higher -- 7.6 deaths per
1,000 births -- for infants whose birth was registered by
one parent.
Reuters
London November 9, 2001
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