Birth Rights: New Approaches to Safe Motherhood

Each year more than 525,000 women die from complications of pregnancy and childbirth. In addition, over 50 million experience pregnancy-related complications, 15 million of which lead to long-term illness or disability. For years, this has been the single greatest cause of premature death and disability among women of reproductive age in the developing world. Today maternal deaths are second only to deaths from AIDS. The tragedy is that almost every one of these deaths is avoidable. Failures to address the needs of pregnant and birthing women are a social injustice of huge proportions.

The report highlights the fact that since 1987, when an International Safe Motherhood Initiative* was adopted, there has been little evidence of significant reductions in the number of women dying globally. The report cites a number of factors that contribute to these deaths. Many countries have practices enshrined in law and culture which inhibit women's chances of surviving pregnancy and childbirth. Early marriage, for example, can lead to childbearing before physical development is complete. Lack of access to safe, legal abortion and advice is another example. This has recently become harder in many parts of the world as a result of the so-called 'gag' rule, which applies to organisations that receive aid funds from the US for family planning. The rule requires recipients of US funds to refrain from advocating for changes in abortion laws, or except in limited circumstances, providing abortion information, counselling or services, even with their own funds.