The ability to protect the health of mothers and babies in childbirth is a basic measure of a society's development. Yet every year in the U.S., 700 to 900 women die from pregnancy or childbirth-related causes, and some 65,000 nearly die — by many measures, the worst record in the developed world.
Being one of the statistics sucks. Coming up on 37 years since I was born and she was gone less than 30 days later from a pregnancy-induced rare blood disease. Middle class. Suburban Chicago. Instilled in me from a very young age to try to live a good life because of her sacrifice.