Safe Motherhood Quilt Project Display and Rally
HARRISBURG (April 17, 2012) – The Safe Motherhood Quilt Project will be on display on Friday, May 11th, from 9a.m. to 3p.m., with a press conference starting at 11a.m., in the Capitol Rotunda, Harrisburg. Internationally renowned midwife, author, and creator of The Safe Motherhood Quilt Project, Ina May Gaskin, will be speaking. Amnesty International, the Greater Harrisburg Area Birth Circle, the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN Harrisburg), and other organizations will be represented.
The Safe Motherhood Quilt Project is a national initiative honoring women who have died of pregnancy-related causes since 1982. The quilt project draws public attention to the United States’ rising maternal death rates, as well as the gross underreporting of maternal deaths. Read Full Article
THE HEALTHY MOTHERS HEALTHY BIRTH SUMMIT: Addressing Maternal Mortality as a Community Part 2: Summary
After lunch, Ina May Gaskin gave her eagerly-awaited presentation “Maternal Mortality and the Safe Motherhood Quilt.” Gaskin related many anecdotes of the women featured on the quilt . When sharing the mothers’ stories, Gaskin spoke extemporaneously and as though she knew every woman personally. “Lemme tell you about Angela here,” she would say to illustrate a point. Gaskin also raised questions about factors not commonly associated with maternal mortality such as primarily assisted reproductive technology and higher-order multiple pregnancies. Read Full Article
The Price of Unnecessary Interventions
The Safe Motherhood Quilt Project is made up of individually-designed squares, each representing a woman in the U.S. who has died of pregnancy-related causes. The Safe Motherhood Quilt is a voice honoring women who can no longer speak for themselves.
I have a quilt panel here that contains 20 different blocks, each honoring a woman who died from pregnancy-related causes in 2007. There were far more deaths in 2007 than the 20 blocks that I have — this is the tip of the iceberg. Read Full Article
