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United Nations Report on Maternal Mortality

From: C-reuters@clari.net (Reuter / David Ljunggren)
Subject: Woman a minute dies due to pregnancy - UN report
Organization: Copyright 1997 by Reuters
Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 5:04:58 PDT

The United Nations Population Fund said failures in reproductive health care, combined with widespread discrimination and violence against women, amounted to a massive violation of human rights.

Millions of deaths a year result from the denial of sexual and reproductive rights, including free choice with regard to pregnancy and childbearing, the UNFPA said in its 1997 State of World Population report.

The report said that at an international conference in 1994, 180 nations had agreed that high-quality reproductive health services and information should be available to all by the year 2015.

``The international community has agreed repeatedly that reproductive health is a right for both women and men,'' said UNFPA Executive Director Nafis Sadiq.

``The challenge now is to make this right a reality for every individual.''

The cost of providing better reproductive health care worldwide was estimated at $17 billion a year, less than the world currently spends each week on arms.

But while many governments have increased their spending on reproductive health care, annual global outlays are still well below half the $17 billion mark.

The effect of denying people their rights in the field of pregnancy and childbirth mean that 585,000 women -- one every minute -- die each year from pregnancy-related causes.

Nearly all of them are in developing countries and many times this number are disabled as a result of childbirth.

The report said that about 200,000 mothers die each year because of the lack or failure of contraceptive services.

Up to 150 million women who want to space their pregnancies are without the means to do so. About 75 million pregnancies are unwanted and these result in 45 million abortions.

The report said that 120 million women had undergone some form of genital mutilation, while two million girls between the ages of five and 15 were introduced into the commercial sex market each year.

``Given the choice, most women would have fewer children than their parents' generation,'' the report said.

``Ensuring that women and their partners have the right to choose will support a global trend toward smaller families, and help countries find a balance between their populations and resources.''

From C-reuters@clari.net Fri May 30 00:07:49 PDT 1997
Subject: One woman a minute dying in pregnancy, says U.N.
Organization: Copyright 1997 by Reuters
Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 9:01:35 PDT

It said that, despite efforts to boost the quality and availability of reproductive health care, widespread failures combined with discrimination and violence against women amounted to a massive violation of human rights.

``Given the choice, most women would have fewer children than their parents' generation,'' UNFPA executive director Dr Nafis Sadik told a news conference to launch the organization's 1997 State of World Population report.

``Ensuring that women and their partners can exercise the right to choose will speed the global trend toward smaller families and help countries find a balance between their population and their resources,'' she said.

The report said the effect of denying people their rights meant 585,000 women -- one every minute -- died each year from pregnancy- related causes.

Nearly all of them are in developing countries -- most in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia -- and many times this number are disabled as a result of childbirth.

If women were given more say over their bodies it would help keep the world's population at sustainable levels, Sadik said. There are at present 5.8 billion people on earth and estimates for 2025 range from 7.7 billion to 20 billion.

``I think we can make the eight billion figure if we work hard to implement the recommendations in the report. That is do-able,'' she said.

At an international conference in Cairo in 1994, 180 nations agreed that high-quality reproductive health services and information should be available to all by the year 2015.

They agreed to spend $17 billion a year by 2000 to boost the care of reproductive healthcare but current spending falls short of that target, largely because industrialized countries have not fulfilled their commitments.

Sadik reported some positive change among leaders of affected states but acknowledged resistance lower down.

``Many leaders are supporting the programs and speaking out against violence in a much more open way than they did before,'' she said. ``We believe the laws are a starting point but laws won't change society by themselves.''

The report said about 200,000 mothers died each year because of the lack of or failure of contraceptive services.

Up to 150 million women who want to space their pregnancies are without the means to do so. About 75 million pregnancies are unwanted and these result in 45 million abortions.

The report said 120 million women had undergone some form of genital mutilation, while two million girls aged five to 15 were introduced into the commercial sex market each year.