In this short video Ina May Gaskin speaks about the Safe Motherhood Quilt Project. Debra recorded this video on Mother’s Day 2013 in PA. It is time we all speak-out and speak-up, join Ina May at: http://rememberthemothers.
For additional background and information, please review these excerpts from Amnesty Internationals Deadly Delivery Report.
“The USA spends more than any other country on health care, and more on maternal health than any other type of hospital care. Despite this, women in the USA have a higher risk of dying of pregnancy-related complications than those in 49 other countries, including Kuwait, Bulgaria, and South Korea.
African-American women are nearly four times more likely to die of pregnancy-related complications than white women. These rates and disparities have not improved in more than 20 years.
Maternal deaths are only the tip of the iceberg. During 2004 and 2005, more than 68,000 women nearly died in childbirth in the USA. Each year, 1.7 million women suffer a complication that has an adverse effect on their health.
This is not just a public health emergency — it is a human rights crisis. Women in the USA face a range of obstacles in obtaining the services they need. The health care system suffers from multiple failures: discrimination; financial, bureaucratic and language barriers to care; lack of information about maternal care and family planning options; lack of active participation in care decisions; inadequate staffing and quality protocols; and a lack of accountability and oversight.”
Another global initiative to reduce maternal mortality and highlight women’s rights in childbirth is www.whiteribbonalliance.org/
Join us as we vision and are working to heal our broken maternity care system. Every MotherBaby deserves respectful loving care. Together we are making a difference. Share your thoughts and let’s remember all mothers.
Please add your stories here, have you experienced a human rights violation in the care you received?
Thank you Debra for posting about this project. There are important efforts underway to address maternal morbidity and mortality in the US.
Check out the Unexpected Project Survivor’s Forum for April 30 in San Jose CA
http://www.lucinamaternity.org/up-program.html
UP – A program for survivors, families, and friends of pregnancy-related death and near-miss in the USA