Health for Mothers This Mothers Day

|PIC1|Witnessing my sister give birth late last year, I was amazed by the quality of medical care she received. Surrounded by family and with the attention of an experienced midwife, my sister was able to labour in a birthing suite at her local public hospital. She had access to a large room, private courtyard and ensuite. She chose a completely natural water-birth and, thankfully, experienced no complications in bringing a beautiful baby girl into the world. My sister went home that afternoon after receiving assistance with breastfeeding and was visited by midwives for the next weeks.

I came away from that day struck by the strength of the female spirit (not to mention frame). We women really are incredible beings and expertly designed to help God with his special task of creation. What a privilege. Thanks to her experience, my sister considers giving birth to be a positive and deeply spiritual event. Sadly, this is not the case for many women in our world.

This year, as Micah Challenge once again ramps up the Child and Maternal Health campaign, I can't help thinking back to that day at RPA hospital and wondering at the inconsistencies between my sister's experience and that of women living in poverty. How unjust that half a million expectant mothers die every year, 99% of them in poor countries. Having witnessed the birth of my niece, I feel all the more indignant at this statistic and all the more moved to act. I truly believe that with great privilege comes great responsibility, and we Australians who celebrate mothers every year in May, have a responsibility to speak out.

We can respond by taking part in a simple advocacy action, such as signing a card, and encouraging others to join us. Basic measures like better education about hygiene and breast feeding, and more training of skilled birth attendants could bring about profound change. But in order for this to happen, governments like Australia need to prioritise child and maternal health in their aid budgets.

Micah Challenge is calling supporters to sign a Mothers Day e-card to The Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr. Stephen Smith, reminding our government that we care about women and children. We want to see the number of mothers who die reduced by 3/4 and the number of child deaths cut by 2/3, in accordance with the targets outlined in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These goals are not being reached, so we need to call our politicians to support child and maternal health in the developing world.

I know that my sister and her daughter are no more precious to God than women and children in Sierra Leone or Afghanistan or Papa New Guinea, but the standard of health care across the globe does not reflect this. As people who believe that all lives are precious, we need to get involved with advocating for mothers and children in poverty.

You can find out more about the Micah Challenge Health Campaign and sign a Mothers Day e-card at www.micahchallenge.org.au/health. To order hard copies of materials, contact info@micahchallenge.org.au or phone the Micah Challenge office on (02) 9453 1586.

Tabitha Horsley is the Communications Coordinator for Micah Challenge Australia – a global movement of Christians which aims to deepen engagement with the poor by integrating social justice as an essential aspect of our faith. Micah Challenge seeks to encourage the leaders of all nations to fulfil their commitments to the Millennium development goals, to halve absolute poverty by 2015. We believe that we have made a promise to the poor and are capable of upholding our commitment. If every Christian chooses to act with justice and kindness, walking humbly with God (Micah 6:8), imagine the impact we can have.