Around the world, one woman dies every minute in pregnancy or childbirth. Right now, the maternal death clock is ticking.
Maternal mortality is not just a problem affecting underdeveloped countries. Despite the fact that the United States spends more money on healthcare, including maternal health, than any other country in the world, maternal mortality rates are increasing. Women in the U.S. have a higher risk of dying of pregnancy-related complications than women in forty other countries.
This travesty is not caused by a lack of resources as it is in many other countries. These deaths are caused by the inequalities inherent in the U.S. health care system. Our government chooses to allocate and distribute public health care facilities, services and resources in such a way that women and children are dying. For these reasons, African-American women are nearly four times more likely to die of pregnancy-related complications than Caucasian women.
As the past president of the International Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Mahmoud Fathall, said,
“Women are not dying of diseases we can’t treat. They are dying because societies have yet to make the decision that their lives are worth saving.”
This discrimination cannot be solved by pouring money into the problem or developing better technologies. The solution is social, not medical. There are financial, bureaucratic and language barriers to maternal health care in the U.S.
The U.S. must ensure that all pregnant women have access to health care no matter their race, ethnicity or socio-economic class. Moreover, the U.S. must provide information about maternal care and family planning options.
On Tuesday, SMU Amnesty International will be hosting a panel discussion called “Maternal Health is a Human Right” in collaboration with other Amnesty groups in DFW. The event will be held at 6 p.m. in Vester Hughes Auditorium, which is located in the basement (Room 147) of Caruth Hall.
The event’s panel discussion will include Lisa Adler, a field organizer for Amnesty International USA; Joyce Tapley, the CEO of the Dallas-based MLK Family Clinic; and Karen Kelly, the district chairperson of CARE. The panel will be discussing maternal mortality from the local to the international level.
There will also be a spoken-word artist and a short film. Refreshments will be served after the event.
All are welcome and encouraged to attend. The issue of maternal mortality and health affects every person in this country. We must all be informed if we want to change the U.S. track record for maternal deaths. Giving life should not mean risking death.
Jordan Johansen is senior history, music and anthropology triple major. She is also the president of Amnesty International. She can be reached for comments or questions at [email protected].