[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 79 (Wednesday, May 14, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H3783]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           MATERNAL MORTALITY

  (Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to enthusiastically 
support House Resolution 1022, a resolution recognizing maternal health 
as a basic human right of all women. How appropriate it is to stand 
here a week after Mother's Day in support of this commonsense 
initiative.
  One in eight women in Afghanistan die due to complications resulting 
from pregnancy in childbirth. One in eight. And it's the same story in 
many countries around the world.
  But, unfortunately, this is not just a Third World problem. Although 
the United States is a leader in medical technology and innovation, it 
has one of the worst rankings for maternal mortality in all the 
industrialized nations. We come in at a dismal 41st place, which means 
that a mother and her baby have a greater chance of survival in Kuwait 
or Croatia than they do in the United States.
  In a relatively wealthy country, pregnancy should not be a death 
sentence. There are inexpensive and effective solutions that can 
significantly reduce the rates of maternal mortality, and I look 
forward to working with the Women's Caucus.

                          ____________________