day 16 - maternal mortality

Over the next couple of days, we’ll be discussing maternal mortality. Here in the United States, the thought of women dying in childbirth seems antiquated, a concern that belongs in history books – certainly not a concern of today. But the reality is that childbirth for women in developing nations remains a current problem, claiming the life of one woman per minute ("Half the Sky", 2009).

 

Maternal mortality rates are measured in deaths per 100,000 live births. Many of these developing countries are regions where a woman may have more children (thereby putting her at a greater risk of dying in childbirth). Let’s compare some statistics from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation:

Maternal mortality rate for the United States (2008):   11

                                                                     China:   40

           Iraq:   130

          India:   254                                                        

       Nigeria:   608

                                                                  Somalia:   674

                                                                  Lesotho:   964

                                                           Sierra Leone:   1,033

                                          Central African Republic:   1,570

                                                            Afghanistan:   1,575

Because women often get married at a young age in African and Asian countries, they usually have more children over their lifetime, starting at a younger age. UNICEF estimates that in India, “Girls under 15 are five times more likely to die in childbirth than women in their twenties”. And women’s chances of dying in childbirth are “1 in 17 in West and Central Africa compared to 1 in 8000 in industrialized countries.”

In some cases, an emergency Cesarean section or surgery is needed to preserve the life of the child or mother during childbirth. Hospitals are few and far between, and tools are even less available. Families may be reluctant to pay for, or even unable to afford, expensive operating tools and medicine for a woman’s surgery. They are then forced to watch the mother lose strength and die simply because they could not afford the costs of tools that could have saved her life. We consider this a preventable death; but in other countries, it is unfortunately a common occurrence.

Women with an education tend to have fewer children (World Bank) who will live healthier, longer lives. With an education, the risk of dying in childbirth would greatly decrease for these women. Please consider making a donation to help provide education to women in rural Africa.

Janna