resources to remember maternal health at your mother’s day service, may 9

As the readers of this blog know, obstetric fistulae are but one of the tragic outcomes of prolonged obstructed labor.  Often times pregnancies pose serious health risks to both the mother and her baby.

According to a recent article in the Lancet, 342,900 mothers died worldwide in 2008 due to complications during pregnancy, childbirth, or in the 42 days after delivery. This is an unfathomable loss to the human community.  While this statistic marks an improvement in the estimated number of maternal deaths (down from over 500,000 per year), it is unacceptable that nearly 1,000 women die each day from preventable consequences of pregnancy and childbirth.

When it comes to crises like maternal mortality and maternal health worldwide, it is easy to feel overwhelmed.  Certainly, such a moral tragedy should be addressed by our faith communities. But when is the right time to talk about the pervasive global problem of maternal health?  And how?  As people of faith who believe in prayer as a form of communal solidarity and a call for justice, let’s join together on May 9 — Mother’s Dday– to honor mothers worldwide.

On Mother’s Day this year,  the Religious Institute is organizing a grassroots campaign to educate congregations about maternal health.  We have created a responsive reading on maternal health that congregations can use in Mother’s Day weekend services, either by reading it on its own or incorporating passages into prayers of the people or other parts of the service.  We have also created a bulletin insert that will make congregants aware of the extent of maternal mortality worldwide.

This is a simple call to prayer — just 10 sentences to recognize the hundreds of thousands of mothers across the globe who die needlessly each year from preventable complications of pregnancy.  Help lead the way and raise awareness in your congregation for maternal health by signing up here.

Of course, you do not have to wait for Mother’s Day to talk about maternal health in your congregation.  This Mother’s Day campaign is part of a broader initiative – the Religious Institute’s “Rachel Sabbath Initiative — Saving Women’s Lives.” The Rachel Sabbath Initiative is named for the matriarch Rachel in the Old Testament. Like millions of women today, Rachel “suffered severe labor” and died in childbirth (Genesis. 35:16-20).

This initiative is a call to faith communities to honor Rachel and her children by committing to saving women’s lives around the world.  To learn more about how your congregation can get involved, visit the Rachel Sabbath Initiative page on our website. The Religious Institute has created resources to assist congregations in raising awareness, including suggested passages and hymns, fact sheets and bibliographies.

Founded in 2001, the Religious Institute is a multi-faith organization dedicated to advocating for sexual health, education and justice in faith communities and society. You can learn more about us at www.religiousinstitute.org.

Amanda Winters
2009-2010 Scholar in Residence
Religious Institute