What is the bottom line on Obama support for maternal health in the administration's Global Health Initiative?
In five words, increased attention to maternal health.
- $593.5 million for reproductive health assistance
- $549 million for maternal health and child survival programs
- $5M increase to UNFPA to $55 million.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that investing in women—including by helping them time and space their pregnancies and by providing pregnancy-related care—“is essential to the prosperity and opportunity of all, to the stability of families and communities, and the sustainability and development of nations.“ Much of the backup for the arguments surrounding the Administration's support for maternal health comes from the new AGI/UNFPA report, Adding it Up. We will cover this report in detail in upcoming posts, but suffice it to say that only half of the 123 million women who give birth each year have access to skilled care.
