Yesterday, U.S. Rep. Yvette Clark of New York introduced the Global Sexual and Reproductive Health Act of 2010, a comprehensive new framework for U.S. international assistance for reproductive and sexual health services. The legislation calls for increased support for family planning and maternal health services worldwide, prevention of unsafe abortions, and sexuality education for adolescents.
The introduction of this bill comes on the heels of a new study published in The Lancet, indicating that maternal mortality rates have begun a dramatic decline in 23 countries. Still, more than 340,000 women die every year due to preventable complications from pregnancy or childbirth. Half of the world's maternal deaths occur in just six countries: India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. And maternal mortality has actually increased in the United States since 1980.
Think for a moment: somewhere in the world, one woman dies nearly every minute from a complication of pregnancy or childbirth. The death of any woman is not only a loss to her family and community; it diminishes us all. Yet we hear so little about maternal mortality, and few religious institutions have made maternal mortality a major social justice issue.
We're hoping to change that. With the support of the United Nations Foundation and more than 50 nationally recognized religious leaders, the Religious Institute has launched the Rachel Sabbath Initiative: Saving Women's Lives to educate religious communities about the need to reduce maternal mortality and promote universal access to reproductive health services. The initiative is named for the Hebrew matriarch Rachel, who died in childbirth (Genesis 35).
As religious leaders, we seek to create a world where the rights of every woman to life, health, and safe childbirth will be protected. We urge religious leaders to:
On Mother's Day (May 9), we are asking congregations of all faiths to honor mothers worldwide and to offer prayers for those women who die giving birth to the next generation. So far, more than 100 congregations around the country have agreed to participate. Can we count on you to get involved? Go here to sign up and download a responsive reading and a bulletin insert to use in your congregation.
Surely there is common agreement across all religious traditions that no woman, anywhere in the world, should lose her life creating a new one. We hope you'll join with us.
Follow Rev. Debra Haffner on Twitter: www.twitter.com/revdebra
Mary Matalin: Sisterhood of Mothers
Unlike so many problems in developing countries, where one can only curse the darkness, the Mothers Day Every Day campaign has demonstrated on maternal mortality we can and are lighting candles.
Or that could just be a right wing excuse not to spend money on saving lives rather than blowing them up.
Sorry for such cynicism, but after watching the clowns in the Senate the last year ...
I'm curious though - will the sexual and reproductive services and access to education mentioned include education about pregnancy prevention? STD prevention? Access to condoms?