Why do Women Die in Childbirth? (Half the Sky Chap. 7) #sjbc

This post is part of the April Social Justice Book Club. This week we are discussing Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.

Conversation Questions for Chapter Seven:

“Would the world stand by if it were men who were dying just for completing their reproductive functions?” Asha-Rose Migiro, UN Deputy Secretary General, 2007

What are your thoughts? Discuss the major factors tied to high rates of maternal death: biology, lack of schooling, lack of rural health systems, and disregard for women.

“During World War I, more American women died in childbirth than American men died in war.”

Do you agree with the authors’ interpretation that giving American women the right to vote, “ended up providing a huge and unanticipated boost to women’s health”? What is the role of women in the political arena in developing countries where maternal mortality rates are high?

Source: The above questions come from the organization Global Women.

Please share with us your responses to the questions above or any thoughts or questions you have about the politics of maternal mortality in the comments section below.

The Social Justice Book Club is a project of Independence Rock Group: Center for Faith, Ethics, and Social Justice. Please consider supporting the Social Justice Book Club and our other projects. Find other posts about the Book Club and Half the Sky here.