African region’s maternal and newborn mortality declining, but progress still slow

7 Apr 2025

Brazzaville – The African region has made progress in lowering maternal mortality since 2000 but needs a 12-fold increase in the annual reduction rate to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SGD) target of fewer than 70 deaths per 100 000 live births by 2030, new estimates by the United Nations Maternal Mortality Estimation Interagency Group show.

Despite a 40% decline in maternal mortality, from 727 to 442 deaths per 100 000 live births between 2000 and 2023, the region still accounts for 70% of global maternal deaths. Each year, an estimated 178 000 mothers and 1 million newborns die in the Africa region – many from preventable causes.

Continued: https://reliefweb.int/report/world/african-regions-maternal-and-newborn-mortality-declining-progress-still-slow

07.04.2025

News

Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu

maternal mortality

Sustainable Development Goals

The Faces of U.S. Pronatalism And the War on Women’s Rights – Part One

22 January 2025

President Trump has taken office, and some of his initial executive orders closely reflect Project 2025, an authoritarian agenda that includes severe rollbacks on women’s reproductive rights. Trump’s close ties to Elon Musk and other pronatalist figures are also a cause for great concern. Here we explore the prominent figures of U.S. pronatalism and how Project 2025 represents a war on women’s rights.

The first Trump administration introduced a wave of policies that restricted reproductive rights and access to healthcare both domestically in the U.S. and worldwide. The Biden administration reversed a lot of those policies and helped to repair the U.S.’s reputation as one of the largest funders of sexual and reproductive healthcare worldwide.

Continued: https://populationmatters.org/news/2025/01/the-faces-of-u-s-pronatalism-and-the-war-on-womens-rights-part-one/

Trump’s Return Invigorates Global Anti-Abortion Drive

Not everything termed ‘Geneva’ advances human rights

Jan 06, 2025
Asia Sentinel

The global movement to undermine and restrict access to safe abortion, which went relatively dormant during the Biden interregnum that began in 2020, looks likely to return along with Donald Trump’s return to the US presidency. Although the returning president shied away from the anti-abortion crusade as a political liability during his 2024 campaign and may well remain silent domestically, internationally it is likely to return in the form of the regressive Geneva Consensus Declaration.

The Declaration was introduced two weeks before Trump left office in 2020 by his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and adopted by 39 countries under the pretext of “promoting women’s health and strengthening the family.” The Biden administration immediately took the US out of the Declaration upon taking office. Having frustrated the anti-abortion forces in the US during his campaign, Trump is likely to make up to them on the international front, according to the medical anthropologist Lynn Morgan in a telephone conversation from Mount Holyoke College, a private women's liberal arts school in Massachusetts.

Continued: https://www.asiasentinel.com/p/trump-return-invigorate-global-anti-abortion-drive

Lack of abortion care is a threat to women’s health in Latin America

Inequalities and restrictions to sexual and reproductive health and rights are endangering women, write Mercedes Colomar and Veronica Fiol

BMJ 2024; 387 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.q2530
Published 18 November 2024

Mercedes Colomar, Veronica Fiol

In 1994, the International Conference on Population and Development established a groundbreaking framework recognising reproductive rights as human rights.1 This framework prioritised people and human rights in development—rather than population control. Thirty years on, stark inequalities in sexual and reproductive health and rights persist across national, regional, and global levels. Poor access and restrictions on abortion are contributing to maternal mortality in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In many contexts, women have limited autonomy and decision making power over their health, exacerbating poor health outcomes. Unsafe abortion is a serious public health problem and poses a particular risk to women’s health—especially in countries where abortion is clandestine and often dangerous. The impact of unsafe abortion is particularly severe in young, impoverished, and less educated women. Studies on clandestine abortions in places where abortion is highly restricted show that women with higher incomes have a greater chance of accessing safer abortion methods than those with lower incomes.2 Legislative restrictions, inadequate social support, limited family planning services, and under-resourced healthcare infrastructures contribute to this issue. Complications from these abortions further strain local health systems because of the need for emergency and long term care.

Continued: https://www.bmj.com/content/387/bmj.q2530

Experts decry high rate of deaths, injuries from unsafe abortions

By Ojoma Akor
Tue, 5 Nov 2024

Experts in sexual and reproductive health have harped on the need for increased efforts from government and other stakeholders towards tackling the burden of unsafe termination of pregnancies.

They made the call during a media briefing and launch of SHE & Rights Media Initiative [Sexual Health with Equity(SHE) and Rights initiative] in the lead up to Safe Abortion Day 2024.

Continued: https://dailytrust.com/experts-decry-high-rate-of-deaths-injuries-from-unsafe-abortions/

Bangladesh – ‘Restricting access doesn’t stop abortion, increases risks’

The limitations on access not only contribute to unsafe practices but also reinforce the social stigma associated with abortion

Nurul Islam Hasib
05 Oct 2024

Bangladesh currently lacks a comprehensive abortion law, permitting the procedure only in circumstances aimed at saving a woman's life, as outlined in the Bangladesh Penal Code of 1860 (sections 312-316).

Instead, the government offers Menstrual Regulation (MR), a service included in the national family planning program since 1979. MR can be performed by trained midlevel providers within 10 weeks of a missed menstrual period and by a doctor within 12 weeks.

Continued: https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/360837/%E2%80%98restricting-access-doesn%E2%80%99t-stop-abortion

India – My body, Is it my own?

October 1, 2024
by Shobha Shukla

Alas! it is not for 45% of women who are not empowered to make choices over their healthcare and contraception needs and choices. Nearly half of the women in 57 developing countries are denied the right to decide whether to have sex with their partners, use contraception or seek healthcare, according to UNFPA’s State of World Population Report. This lack of bodily autonomy- the right to make free and informed decisions about one’s own body, without coercion or violence- has serious implications for the health and wellbeing of women and girls.

We see violations of bodily autonomy when a lack of choice and decision-making leads to unplanned pregnancy, or to unsafe abortion that is a leading, yet totally preventable, cause of maternal mortality and morbidity. As per data, around 73 million induced abortions take place globally each year (majority of which are in the 21-34 age group). 61% of all unplanned pregnancies, and 30% of all pregnancies (planned and unplanned), end in induced abortion. However, around 45% of these abortions are unsafe. More than half of all these unsafe abortions occurred in Asia. In Latin America and Africa, nearly 75% of all abortions were unsafe. The South East Asia region experiences an estimated 3.6 million unsafe abortions annually.

Continued: https://www.dailygoodmorningkashmir.com/my-body-is-it-my-own/#google_vignette

01.10.2024

Commentary

International Planned Parenthood Federation

International Safe Abortion Day

Jessica Work

Medical Termination Pregnancy Act

Melissa Cockroft

Shobha Shukla

Sustainable Development Goals

Innovative Solutions As Panacea For Nigeria’s Maternal Health Challenges

By Ojoma Akor
Tue, 23 Jul 2024

Stakeholders in the health sector have harped on the need to scale up innovative solutions to address the maternal health challenges bedeviling the country.

They stated this yesterday during the National Policy Dialogue on Maternal Health organised by Nigeria Health Watch with the theme: “Scaling Maternal Health Innovations in Nigeria: Learning, Challenges and Opportunities”.

Continued: https://dailytrust.com/innovative-solutions-as-panacea-for-nigerias-maternal-health-challenges/

23.07.2024

News

Dr Salma Anas

Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo

Hadiza Galadanci

maternal mortalit

Nigeria Health Watch

Sustainable Development Goals

Vivianne Ihekweazu

World Health Organization

Preventing maternal and child mortality: upcoming WHO Resolution must galvanise action to tackle the unacceptable weight of preventable death

Ali Hajji Adam and Mekdes Daba
May 22 2024

Global progress on improving maternal, newborn, and child survival has stalled. Many regions of the world continue to experience persistently high rates of maternal and child mortality, and despite improvements between 2000 and 2015, progress is now stagnating.1 The combination of ongoing and new conflicts, climate change, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic create a perfect storm to drive back any gains that might have been made during the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) era.

The global community is off track from our targets for reducing maternal mortality (SDG 3.1)2 and ending preventable deaths of newborns and children younger than 5 years (SDG 3.2).3 Globally, 287 000 women died from a maternal cause in 2020, averaging 223 deaths of mothers for each livebirth.1 For children younger than 5 years, 4·9 million died globally in 2022, 2·3 million of these in the first month of life.4 In addition, almost 1·9 million babies were stillborn in 2021.5 .

Continued: https://www.ippmedia.com/the-guardian/news/world/read/preventing-maternal-and-child-mortality-upcoming-who-resolution-must-galvanise-action-to-tackle-the-unacceptable-weight-of-preventable-deaths-2024-05-22-173043

22.05.2024

Sustainable Development Goals

World Health Assembly Resolution

World Health Organization

Nigeria – Importance Of Implementing Effective Family Planning Programme After Childbirth

By Chioma Umeha
Jan 5, 2024

The importance of implementing an effective family planning programme after childbirth cannot be overstated. It is crucial to ensure the well-being of both the mother and the child.

By providing access to comprehensive family planning services, individuals can make informed decisions about their reproductive health and plan for the future.

This not only promotes the physical and emotional health of the family but also contributes to the overall development and stability of society.

Continued: https://independent.ng/importance-of-implementing-effective-family-planning-programme-after-childbirth/