Giving birth safely is largely a privilege of the rich.

• Position: Brief article

TARGET

Reduce by three quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio

Millennium Development Goal 5

Improve maternal health

Every year, 536,000 women and girls die as a result of complications during pregnancy, childbirth or the six weeks following delivery. Almost all of these deaths (99 per cent) occur in developing countries. Maternal mortality is among the health indicators that show the greatest gap between the rich and the poor--both between countries and within them. Developed regions report nine maternal deaths per 100,000 live births compared...