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This is a touching movie which shows the devastating effect a mother’s death can have on her whole family and the well-being of her children. But it also highlights success stories showing that maternal mortality is a challenge to development which can, and should, be overcome (for more success stories check out: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/livingproofproject/Pages/default.aspx).
This clip also touches on the very important issues of adolescent pregnancies and family planning. Globally, complications from pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death among girls aged 15 to 19. Additionally, 85% of teenage pregnancies are not planned. Providing family planning options could save millions of lives each year - not only of mothers and their newborns, but also those of older children who are much more likely to survive and thrive if their mother is alive.
The Guttmacher Institute, a New-York based reproductive rights organization, estimates that a third of all pregnancies worldwide are unintended - that’s almost 210 million pregnancies annually. This means there over 200 million women worldwide who have an unmet need for family planning. Providing them with the means to manage their fertility as well as some basic medical assistance can save 70% of the maternal and 40% of infant lives currently lost worldwide.
Women who cannot plan their family size and space their children appropriately are much more likely to die in childbirth or as a result of an unsafe abortion (74,000 women annually). Moreover, their children are more likely to be malnourished and less educated. Providing family planning empowers women and their families and allows them to make informed choices concerning their lives.
There are numerous organization worldwide working to meet the family planning needs of women worldwide (e.g. International Planned Parenthood Federation). Sexual health clinic workers save lives on a daily basis not just by dispensing AIDS medicine (ARVs) and condoms - although they perhaps gets the most media attention. A very important part of their job is providing contraceptives such as the contraceptive jab, or diaphragm. Although not highly publicized, this is an incredibly effective and cost-efficient way of saving women’s and children’s lives. It also gives women the time, energy and resources to invest in the children they already have and even take on a job outside of the home. Some governments (e.g. the current Canadian Government) are diverting funding from proven, long-running family planning projects in the developing world and still trying to convince the public they care about maternal health. We shouldn’t let them get away with it - family planning is absolutely essential for meeting MDG5!
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