In countries across the world, women lose their lives in childbirth. According to the United Nations Population Fund, each of these deaths represents an additional 20 women who experience serious complications.
    Pregnancy in developed countries is typically a cause for celebration and excitement. The mother-to-be and her family do not fear for the mother's mortality at the end of the nine months. Women in developing countries on the other hand have an entirely different maternal experience.
    To start, women in many countries do not have access to resources or information about family planning. Many women do not understand that they have the ability to control when and how often they have children. Many women become pregnant year after year, increasing exposure to maternal health problems and decreasing the ability of the mother to care for the children she already has. 
    Without access to or information about contraceptives, occurrences of unintended pregnancies are widespread. Such pregnancies also can interfere with the woman's ability to receive an education or participate in the local economy.
    According to the United Nations Foundation, "more than 200 million women in the developing world wish to delay or end childbearing but do not have access to modern contraceptives. As a result, there are between 70 and 80 million unintended pregnancies in the developing world each year."
    With each pregnancy, women in developing countries face incredible challenges along with the very real possibility of not surviving childbirth. The mortality rate attributed to the action of childbirth can be directly connected to the quality of medical attention which the woman receives. Access to safe and clean health facilities staffed by trained individuals with the necessary medical equipment is a luxury - and a right - that most developing countries do not enjoy.
    For instance, UNFPA states that all of the top causes of maternal mortality — hemorrhage, sepsis, safety, abortion, hypertensive disorders and obstructed labor — can be treated at facilities with the qualities mentioned earlier. In addition to decreasing maternal mortality, such facilities also can decrease the infant mortality rate of a country. At the very least, women in these countries should have access to life-saving emergency obstetric care in a timely manner.
    On Oct. 10, the Washington Post published an article titled "A Mother's Final Look at Life," in which the tragedy of maternal health across the world was exposed in great detail. For instance, at a run-down hospital in Sierra Leone, patients are expected to provide their own medical supplies. A blood transfusion — which could have saved the life of the mother had it occurred in a more timely manner by trained staff with quality equipment — was conducted with blood that had been purchased on the black market.
    UNFPA points out that a handful of countries including Cuba, Thailand, Egypt and China have decreased their maternal mortality rates significantly "as more women have gained access to family planning and skilled birth attendance with backup emergency obstetric care." Recruitment and professional training of midwives within the countries have been integral to this development.
    As the future of the population within countries depends on the vitality of its mothers and their children, it is crucial that the global community focuses on providing quality maternal care to the women of the world.

Molly Hamm is a senior in English. Please send comments to opinion@spub.ksu.edu.