I looked it up and you are right. In 1915 the death rate was 6% in childbirth. I think I was recalling a statistic I heard on a program about the time of Henry VIII, which was a few hundred years ago.
Thanks for your reply.
I saw a statistic that said that in 1900 there were 850 deaths of mothers in childbirth per 100,000 births. Apparently in those days some women, on discovering their pregnancy, would write heart wrenching letters (to be opened in case of death) of goodbye to their loved ones.
Actually, I happen to think that lots of people shouldn't even get married (at least to each other), much less have kids. OTOH, when it all comes together, it is precious beyond description.
My mother, who was quite religious, often said that our main reason for being on earth was perpetuation of the species. I personally don't argue with that.
Still, being a parent is not the right thing for many.