Restore funding to end maternal, infant mortality
The Gazette
May 11, 2008
Mother's Day is an appropriate time to remember more than half a million women around the world who die in pregnancy or childbirth each year. Once each minute of every day, a woman somewhere dies from complications related to pregnancy. For each of these, an estimated 30 more women suffer injuries that will adversely affect their lives, and those of their families, for the rest of their lives. Incredibly, 80 percent of these injuries and deaths could be prevented at little or no cost, but the world has yet to muster the political will to do so.
In October 2000, all the U.N. member states adopted eight Millennium Development Goals to combat poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation and discrimination against women by 2015. Progress has been made toward all eight goals, but the least progress has been made toward goal No. 6, which aims to reduce maternal mortality by three-quarters.
The U.N. Population Fund works effectively to reduce both maternal and infant morality, decrease
the spread of HIV/AIDS, provide family planning and prenatal services and prevent traditional practices that put women's lives at risk. However, since 2002, the Bush administration has blocked all U.S. contributions to UNFPA.
Americans can make Mother's Day a day to celebrate around the world by restoring support to the lifesaving work of UNFPA. Please ask Rep. Dave Loebsack to co-sponsor H.R. 1022 IH and Sens. Chuck Grassley and Tom Harkin to support the UNFPA Restoration Act (S. 2682).
Alice Dahle
Cedar Rapids
