WUNRN
An expectant mother is assessed by a Cuban doctor in
1 April 2014 - Last week, Brazil
become the first country to pay compensation to the family of a woman who died in childbirth as a result of
negligence and discriminatory practices in maternity care.
This is a milestone in the battle
to establish accessible and affordable reproductive healthcare as a human
right. But while
Some 11 years ago, Alyne da Silva Pimentel, a poor
Afro-Brazilian, 26, was six months into her second pregnancy.
She sought help from a local health centre after the onset of nausea and
abdominal pain. The signs that Da Silva's pregnancy was high-risk were
plentiful and clear; nevertheless, she was given pain medication and sent home.
Da Silva's condition quickly
deteriorated. When she returned to the health centre the doctors discovered she
had miscarried. The foetus was removed, but her condition worsened. Yet it took
more than eight hours to get an ambulance to take her to a maternity hospital.
Once there, it took a further 21
hours for Da Silva to receive medical treatment. By then it was too late; she
had slipped into a coma. Da Silva died on 16 November 2002 – five days after
first seeking professional help.
It took another nine years and a historic decision from the UN committee on the
elimination of discrimination against women to get
In the first maternal death case
brought before it, the committee ruled that the failure of
More than 4,000 Brazilian women die each year
from complications with their pregnancy. Maternal mortality
remains the leading cause of death among women of childbearing age, with poor
Afro-Brazilians disproportionately affected.
In
In
The courts are finally taking
heed of such injustices and handing down rulings that press governments to
provide adequate maternity care, irrespective of race, ethnicity or economic
status.
But justice delayed is justice
denied for the many thousands of women who suffer and die needlessly in the
years it takes to secure these rulings and get them implemented. And so our
celebration of maternal reparations in
Until more meaningful action is
taken to address the systemic inequalities that are allowed to fester in
maternity care, the tragedy that led to this landmark victory will be repeated
in
____________________________________________________