A resolution reducing maternal mortality both at home and abroad.

Whereas more than 536,000 women die during pregnancy and childbirth every year which is one every minute;

Whereas in 15 percent of all pregnancies, the complications are life-threatening;

Whereas girls under 15 are 5 times more likely to die in childbirth than women in their 20s;

Whereas nearly all these deaths are preventable;

Whereas survival rates greatly depend upon the distance and time a woman must travel to get skilled emergency medical care;

Whereas care by skilled birth attendants, nurses, midwives, or doctors during pregnancy and childbirth, including emergency services, and care for mothers and newborns is essential;

Whereas the poorer the household, the greater the risk of maternal death, and 99 percent of maternal deaths occur in developing countries;

Whereas newborns whose mothers die of any cause are 3 to 10 times more likely to die within 2 years than those whose mothers survive;

Whereas more than 1,000,000 children are left motherless and vulnerable every year;

Whereas young girls are often pulled from school and required to fill their lost mother’s roles;

Whereas a mother’s death lowers family income and productivity which affects the entire community;

Whereas in countries with similar levels of economic development, maternal mortality is highest where women’s status is lowest;

Whereas the United States ranks 41st among 171 countries in the latest UN list ranking maternal mortality;

Whereas the overall United States maternal mortality ratio is now 11 deaths per 100,000 live births, one of the highest rates among industrialized nations;

Whereas United States maternal deaths have remained roughly stable since 1982 and have not declined significantly since then;

Whereas the Centers for Disease Control estimates that the true level of United States maternal deaths may be 1.3 to 3 times higher than the reported rate; and

Whereas ethnic and racial disparities in maternal mortality rates persist and in the United States maternal mortality among black women is almost four times the rate among non-Hispanic white women: Now, therefore, be it