International Day for Maternal Health and Rights: Answering the Call to Action
Today, April 11, 2014 is the inaugural International Day for Maternal Health and Rights. Spearheaded by CHANGE, and co-sponsored by a consortium* of leading maternal health organizations, the event was launched with a tweetchat to discuss rights-based women’s health care, including respectful maternity care. The discussion served as a call to action for government, international institutions, and the global community to recognize the day and take action to keep maternal health on the post-2015 agenda.
People and organizations responded in droves, and by midday east coast time, #IntlMHDay and #maternalhealth were trending worldwide on Twitter. Chat participants answered questions posed by CHANGE and shared their perspectives on the status of maternal health as a human rights issue.
Take action for the right to dignity, respect, & skilled care during pregnancy & childbirth!#IntlMHDay http://t.co/qfx2TeUWRE
— Dorathy Akwugo Isu (@dorathyisu) April 11, 2014
Q1: What is #rights based #maternalhealth care? #IntlMHDay
— CHANGE (@genderhealth) April 11, 2014
A1: In the #WorldWeWant every woman has the right to make decisions abt her body, health + future. #IntlMHDay #CPD47 pic.twitter.com/X5mUz8sSbD
— IPPF/WHR (@IPPF_WHR) April 11, 2014
A healthier future depends on reaching the most vulnerable & underserved #women with high-quality #maternalhealth services. #IntlMHDay
— Population Council (@Pop_Council) April 11, 2014
A1: #Rights based #maternalhealth care respects women’s autonomy, dignity, & choices, & prevents maternal morbidity & mortality. #IntlMHDay
— Women Deliver (@WomenDeliver) April 11, 2014
Black women in US exp maternal mortality rates comparable to devlping countries. This must be a priority! http://t.co/j5HZNqtFlw #IntlMHDay
— Elizabeth Dawes Gay (@edawesgay) April 11, 2014
#Rights-based #maternalhealth care must ensure #women can decided freely how many childrent they want to have #familyplanning #IntlMHDay
— KHALEB (@k4334b) April 11, 2014
Envision a world where no women die in childbirth, 100% of demand for contraception is met, and all abortions are safe and legal #IntlMHDay — Emma Morse (@emmorse3) April 11, 2014
The overwhelming response from the global maternal health community signals that rights-based maternal health is a key area of concern, and we have heard you.
Last year, the Maternal Health Task Force issued a call for your perspectives on respectful maternity care. In celebration of the International Day for Maternal Health and Rights, we are re-launching our RMC blog series. This year, we want to hear from you on the full spectrum of women’s health services. To quote CHANGE:
Q6: How can we ensure that #womensrights are prioritized before, during, and after childbirth? #IntlMHDay
— CHANGE (@genderhealth) April 11, 2014
If you have a story you would like to share, or thoughts on keeping women-centered healthcare in the post-2015 agenda, please email Natalie Ramm.