In a powerful address ahead of the UN General Assembly, former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern draws from her personal experience as a mother and a leader. She reveals a haunting message she received during her toughest days as a new mother: “Women give birth in wars.” This simple phrase, intended as comfort, instead forced her to confront the immense suffering of women bringing new life into the world under the most horrific conditions.
The Shocking Statistics of Preventable Death
Ardern highlights a global tragedy: 70,000 women die annually from postpartum hemorrhage—the equivalent of one mother dying every 7.5 minutes. This loss of life is even more staggering because it is almost entirely preventable. In high-income countries, deaths from this complication have been nearly eliminated.
“Over half of these deaths occur in just 25 countries grappling with severe humanitarian crises.”
South Sudan is a stark example, with a maternal mortality rate of over 1,200 per 100,000 births, making it one of the most dangerous places on earth to be a mother.
A Lifeline of Hope: The E-MOTIVE Solution
The promising news is the existence of an affordable, effective solution: the E-MOTIVE bundle. This life-saving approach involves measuring blood loss with a simple, low-cost device and administering a bundle of proven treatments simultaneously. It has the potential to drastically reduce deaths from postpartum bleeding.
In response, the International Rescue Committee has launched a new global partnership, “Safe Birth in Crisis,” dedicated to delivering these vital solutions to the world’s most vulnerable women.
A Call to Action: Gaza and Beyond
Ardern unequivocally labels the situation in Gaza a genocide and urges world leaders to act. She outlines a clear path forward:
- Widespread recognition of a Palestinian state.
- Halting all cooperation that facilitates military action.
- The immediate delivery of humanitarian aid and medical care for the wounded and pregnant mothers.
The Human Behind the Headline
Ardern’s central message is a resistance against the dehumanization of statistics. She demands that leaders see the people behind the numbers. Her article ends with a powerful conclusion:
“Yes, women give birth in wars, and they die. But they should not die. Not in childbirth, and not in the crossfire of conflict. Sometimes, politics and leadership must be that simple.”
This report is more than a political analysis; it is an urgent moral summons to focus on the lives of those living in the shadows of global crises, yet at the very center of our shared humanity.
Guardian