Letters to the Editor
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why is this, even in the Western media, being framed as a "women's issue"...
...instead of a public health issue? One in six Afghan women die in childbirth--that means approximately one in twelve Afghanis die a nearly-always preventable death.
"Over one-half take place in sub-Saharan Africa." Isn't that also where female circumcision is the most prevalent? Seems to me if you sew it up, the baby's gonna have a harder time getting out...I'm betting a lot of the babies die because of this too.
I've often wondered if we'd have better luck improving the conditions of women in childbirth by focusing on the effects on the health of the offspring. I'm not saying it would change people's hearts and minds about the position of women; but if it got more women access to midwives and doctors...
Just a thought.