Reproductive and

Maternal Health
Kayleigh Kornher

Explanation

To maintain reproductive health a woman needs. . .

Access to prenatal care and a safe way to deliver if pregnant

Access to education about her health
Treatment and prevention of STIs

A womans rights regarding her sexuality and reproduction are . . .

Access to care that meets her needs and respects her culture
No discrimination regarding her care

Autonomy of her own body

if and when she gets pregnant

intimate partner
Access to contraception should she desire it

The Problems

Sexual and reproductive health problems are the cause of of health issues for women 15-49

Unsafe sex: 222 million women without contraception

HIV/AIDS

Leading cause of mortality for women 15-49

Higher risk for other diseases including tuberculosis and many types of cancer
Other STDs

350,000 women die each year related to childbirth or pregnancy

one woman every 90 seconds

many cases are preventable

Lack of quality prenatal care

Especially poor women

Problems continued

Womens autonomy over their own bodies is not guaranteed. Some examples are . . .

Forced marriage
Forced sterilization
Sexual assault
Laws criminalizing abortion or even miscarriage
Lack of support in the case of sexual assault
Barriers to education and contraception
Bodies seen as objects or commodities

Amina from Girl Rising

More specifically. . .

El Salvador

A woman can be charged with murder for miscarrying

accused of inducing the miscarriage somehow
Total ban on abortion
lives at risk
17 women imprisoned for 30 to 40 years
little or no access to quality maternal care
Beatriz
Life-saving abortion denied
C-section, baby died within hours

Iraq

one of 68 countries accounting for 97% of maternal and child deaths

poor birth practices, lack of emergency care, high rates of anemia
illiteracy, poverty, GBV, early marriage
Nutrition
necessary nutrients, safe drinking water

*There are similar situations in many other countries

Declaration of Human Rights Articles

Article 25, especially the second part

Article 16

Women and children deserve special care

Married too young
Protecting families (family planning, especially if many children already)

Article 3

Pregnant women are in danger (miscarriage and laws, inadequate care making death more
likely)

How this is connected to us

Hobby Lobby Supreme court case

Abortion controversy

Family-owned companies allowed to exclude birth control from insurance on religious

grounds
Cost may prevent access
Supreme court to hear about Texas, number of clinics

Unintended pregnancy in the US: 45%

Women spend most of their reproductive years trying to avoid pregnancy

Sources/Additional Information

http://www.who.int/life-course/news/commentaries/2015-intl-womens-day/en/
https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/09/25/dispatches-miscarrying-shouldnt-be-murder-elsalvador
http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/maternalinfanthealth/
http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/issues/women-s-rights/women-s-health-sexualand-reproductive-rights
https://www.hrw.org/topic/womens-rights
http://iraq.unfpa.org/programmes/reproductive-and-maternal-health
http://www.aidsmap.com/resources/treatmentsdirectory/Womens-healthissues/page/1356016/
http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2013/12/03/groups-sue-government-of-el-salvador-overtreatment-of-beatriz-criminalization-of-abortion/
https://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/FB-Unintended-Pregnancy-US.html