Using Human Rights in Maternal Mortality Programs: From Analysis to Strategy

The author of this article argues that the high mortality rates experienced by pregnant women globally are largely preventable. She advocates a broad-based movement informed by human rights to overcome maternal death and disability by improving access to, and the quality of, emergency obstetric care services, and prioritizing maternal health issues at the clinical and national policy levels. The author uses human rights principles to assert that governments have an obligation to address the health concerns of pregnant women. Her argument highlights the intersection of maternal health with other more conventional human rights themes, like dignity and gender discrimination. The author emphasizes the importance of using human rights to guide the design and implementation of maternal mortality policies and programs in order to achieve the goal of lower mortality rates. Specific examples are discussed to demonstrate how human rights can be applied in health programs. [Descriptors: Reproductive Rights - Safe Motherhood, International]