Amnesty International Calls on President Obama to Reduce Appalling U.S. Death Rate for Women Having Babies

[dreamdancer 0]

this should be easy to solve...

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Amnesty International called on President Obama today to quickly establish an Office of Maternal Health to lead government action to reduce soaring pregnancy-related complications and maternal deaths nationwide. The human rights organization said the government must take immediate steps to stop the loss of two to three women every day and reduce the risk of complications that now affect one-third of all pregnant women - 1.7 million women a year.

With a lifetime risk of maternal deaths that is greater than in 40 other countries, including virtually all of the industrialized countries, the United States has failed to reverse the two-decade upward trend in preventable maternal deaths, despite pledges to do so. Most recently, the government has failed to meet the goals set forth in the 2010 Healthy People initiative, which called for reducing the number of maternal deaths to one- third of current rates.

"This country's extraordinary record of medical advancement makes its haphazard approach to maternal care all the more scandalous and disgraceful," said Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA. "Good maternal care should not be considered a luxury available only to those who can access the best hospitals and the best doctors. Women should not die in the richest country on earth from preventable complications and emergencies."

Cox said: "Mothers die not because the United States can't provide good care, but because it lacks the political will to make sure good care is available to all women."

http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2010/03/12

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[NiteQwill 0]

Well, if this country stops leading the world in diabetes (a huge killer in the U.S.), improved education on prenatal care, and the unhealthy eating habits that lead to LGA (large for gestational age) babies that lead to failure to descend (failure for the fetus to reach 0 or less station at the pubis symphasis), maybe we can reduce that portion of maternal deaths that are caused from FAT babies.

<--Worked in a labor and delivery unit. Delivered MANY fat babies. Some sooo fat that a vaginal birth would be impossible (and fatal to the mother), so cesarean section was the only option.

"Fail, fail again. Fail better."
-Samuel Beckett

[Andrewwhyte 1]

While I agree with the sentiment I think this is a strong example of an organization losing their focus.

[dreamdancer 0]

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Maternity care advocates and practitioners confirm the findings in AI's report. "In the 20 years I've been in this country, the racial disparity has not improved. I cannot comprehend how such a stark racial disparity could even exist in a country like this," said Jennie Joseph, a U.K.-trained midwife who founded the Easy Access Prenatal Care Clinic, an outreach maternity clinic in West Orlando, FL; the outreach clinic clientele is 50 to 60% African American.

http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2010/03/15-8

stay away from moving propellers - they bite
blue skies from thai sky adventures
good solid response-provoking keyboarding