Maternal mortality and human rights: landmark decision by United Nations human rights body

Abstract

Editorials 79Reducing the world's maternal mortality ratio by three quarters between 1990 and 2015 is one objective of Millennium Development Goal 5. However, progress towards this objective has been slow,

Maternity Waiting Homes as Part of an Integrated Program for Maternal and Neonatal Health Improvements: Women's Lives Are Worth Saving

“…Every woman has the right to a healthy pregnancy and safe birth. 1 Yet global maternal health has been neglected for many years. Still, more than 800 women are dying daily from pregnancy-related causes.…”

Newspaper coverage of maternal health in Bangladesh, Rwanda and South Africa: a quantitative and qualitative content analysis

“…We used the context of ‘agenda-setting’ 8 to identify the three main frameworks used to present maternal health issues: (A) ‘rights-based’ frameworks describing maternal health as a human right; 7 (B) ‘policy-based’ frameworks presenting maternal health challenges as part of economic or social development with specific policy solutions; and (C) frameworks discussing maternal health as an ‘ethical’ or ‘moral’ issue. 8 We quantified the frequency of these frameworks in each newspaper, whether written directly by the journalist or quoted from an interview.…”

“…Prior research on the interaction between media reporting and policymaking found that rights-based and policy-based media frames are associated with policy action. 7 8 49 Policy-based frames describe a health issue within its broader social, economic and national context, increasing readers’ sense of social responsibility and desire for policy action. 49 Rights-based framing of maternal health can be a powerful stimulus for action, as this type of framing demands accountability for maternal deaths at the national level.…”

“…49 Rights-based framing of maternal health can be a powerful stimulus for action, as this type of framing demands accountability for maternal deaths at the national level. 7 In a recent case in Uganda, a well organised and active coalition of non-governmental organisations (NGOs, called the Coalition to Stop Maternal Mortality in Uganda sued the government over the deaths of two women during childbirth, deaths that could have been averted, citing a violation of their constitutional right to health. 50 The NGOs drew significant public attention to the issue of avertable maternal deaths by arguing that the right to health guarantees access to quality care, and that negligence by Ugandan authorities causes thousands of maternal deaths annually.…”

“… 6 As Menashe and Siegel 6 describe it, “a frame is a way of packaging and positioning an issue so that it conveys a certain meaning.” For example, framing maternal mortality not just as a development issue but also as a human rights concern can enhance accountability for maternal deaths at the national level. 7 …”