Asunta Mucha stood barefoot on the dirt floor inside her home with both hands clutching her stomach. In excruciating pain, she tried to fight back the scream that tore at her throat. Her husband heard her agonized cry and rushed in. Pregnant with twins, Asunta needed a cesarean section but her village in Peru was three hours from the nearest hospital. This is the point when many women in the developing world die. But not Asunta.

In this case,...