Maternal Mortality as a Human Rights Issue: Measuring Compliance with International Treaty Obligations

This article discusses issues relating to the detection, treatment and measurement of maternal morbidity from the public health point of view. Second, the article explains how the United Nations Guidelines can be translated into law, as binding standards which judge state parties' compliance with the provisions of international human rights treaties relating to women's healthcare. Part II describes the scope of maternal morbidity and discusses the reasons for using the United Nations Guidelines. Part III then describes the legal context for creating a state obligation to reduce maternal mortality as part of the guarantee to the right to health. Part IV proposes three ways to use the United Nations Guidelines in setting enforceable standards with respect to states' obligations to take steps to reduce maternal mortality. [Descriptors: Reproductive Rights - Safe Motherhood, International]