Maybe on this Memorial Day we should remember all the women across the world who have died a preventable death simply by having a baby.  Over half a million women die each year from childbirth.  Half of these women live in Africa.  The New York Times is publishing a three part series on how to prevent maternal deaths, specifically in Tanzania.  I encourage everyone to read it.  It is very eye opening, and it frankly makes me feel very grateful that I am privileged enough to live in the United States.

Maybe on this Memorial day we should take heart that women have the right and the power in the United States to let our voices be heard.  We can debate  the rates of C-Sections, and the rights of a home birth, and the encouragements of natural labor.  We have the power to demand change in a safe forum.  We have many men and women who came before us to thank for this.

Maybe on this Memorial day we should stop and think about our sisters across the globe.  They do not have the rights and the powers to enact change.  Their voices are silent.  Their births are deadly.  These women are literally bleeding in the streets.  They are dying from protracted labors that can last for days.  They are dying from being to young to be pregnant, were their tiny bodies cannot handle the stress of a growing fetus.  They are dying from infections.  They are dying from indifference.

Let us pay tribute on this Memorial Day to those who came before us to protect our rights as free citizens.  Let us as women keep raising our voices to promote what is right and true in maternity care.  Let us use our voices to speak for the women across the globe who cannot speak for themselves.

RR