On May 28th, the International Day of Action for Women's Health was celebrated. In Brazil, the date also drew society's attention to maternal mortality and abortion. Around the world, demonstrations and activities highlighted the importance of society taking a closer look at these issues.
The dates reinforce decisions taken 15 years ago at the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, when new targets were set in relation to maternal and child mortality, recognizing the significant positive contribution of reproductive health services.
According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), more than half a million women die every year from complications during pregnancy and childbirth. In Latin America and the Caribbean, the figure is as high as 15,000. In Brazil, 4,100 women die every year, the highest death toll in the region.
A new study by the Institute of Social Medicine (IMS - UERJ) highlights that the risk of dying from abortion is higher among black women and brown women. According to the study, the risk of death for a black pregnant woman whose pregnancy ended in abortion is 2.5 times higher than for white women.
The data points to a scenario that is found in almost all of Latin and Central America: most of them lived in rural areas and didn't have access to proper medical procedures. In Nicaragua, for example, the organization Catholics for the Right to Decide (CDD) has just reported the death of almost a hundred women in 2008 due to complications in childbirth.