After meeting the Haitian leadership at St. Damien's and St. Luke's Hospitals, I can tell you first hand that there is a great deal to be hopeful about in Haiti.

It is no coincidence that the countries with the highest rates of child mortality, mostly in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, or sub-Saharan Africa, also have some of the lowest rates of contraceptive prevalence.

Each year, 358,000 women worldwide die from complications arising from pregnancy and childbirth, there are four million neonatal deaths and three million stillbirths.

Whereas in the U.S. motherhood is for most women a joyous celebration, in many developing countries it is often said that to be pregnant is to put one foot in the grave.