Why Maternal Health Still Matters

In a world advancing in technology, education, and global connectivity, one might assume that maternal health is a solved issue, an achievement of the past. But the truth is starkly different. Every day, approximately 800 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth, most of them in low-resource settings. At MaterCare International, we believe this is not just a public health issue, but a matter of human dignity, social justice, and moral responsibility.

Despite decades of advocacy, millions of women still face pregnancy and childbirth with no skilled care, no emergency services, and no support. The disparities are heartbreaking. In sub-Saharan Africa, a woman’s risk of dying in childbirth is 1 in 38 compared to 1 in 5,400 in high-income countries. Maternal health has become a silent emergency, affecting not only women but families, communities, and entire nations. This is true even in communities in the United States.

These women are not statistics. They are mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives. Their lives and their dignity matter.

As Catholic obstetricians, gynecologists, and midwives, we are called not only by our professional duty but by our faith to serve mothers in need. The Church teaches that every human life is sacred from conception to natural death. This includes the life of the mother, whose well-being is essential for the nurturing of her children and the flourishing of her family.

The Gospel calls us to “love our neighbor”, especially those most vulnerable. For us, that means reaching the mothers who have been forgotten by modern healthcare systems—women in rural villages, in conflict zones, and in places where access to care is nonexistent.

MaterCare International works where others cannot or will not go. We build maternal health facilities, train local staff, and provide lifesaving surgical care such as Cesarean sections and treatment of obstetric fistula. Our mission goes beyond medicine, we aim to restore hope, uphold dignity, and honor motherhood.

We do this with compassion, clinical excellence, and deep respect for life. We reject the idea that the solution to maternal mortality lies in promoting abortion. Instead, we invest in what truly saves lives: basic obstetric care, nutrition, education, and the support of skilled health professionals.

Why does maternal health still matter? Because no woman should die giving life. Because every child deserves a mother. Because healthy mothers build healthy families and healthy societies.

It matters because maternal care is not just a service—it is an act of love.