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Direct Link to Full 16-Page
Publication:
Reducing
Maternal Mortality
The contribution of the right
to the highest attainable standard of health
Author: Hunt
Paul and Bueno de Mezquita Judith
No. of pages: 16
Publication date: 2010
Publisher:
Available languages: English
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Despite longstanding international commitments to reducing maternal mortality, so far progress has been disappointing. This briefing illustrates how human rights – and the right to the highest attainable standard of health (“right to health”) in particular – can contribute new impetus, frameworks and strategies for reducing maternal mortality.
In recent years, there has been increased recognition that
reducing maternal mortality is not just an issue of development, but also an
issue of human rights. Preventable maternal mortality occurs where there is a
failure to give effect to the rights of women to health, equality and
non-discrimination. Preventable maternal mortality also often represents a
violation of a woman’s right to life.
Maternal health has a particularly close relationship with the
right to the highest attainable standard of health. This fundamental human
right is recognised in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights, as well as other international human rights treaties. The
right to health includes entitlements to goods and services, including sexual and
reproductive health care and information. It requires action to break down
political, economic, social and cultural barriers that women face in accessing
the interventions that can prevent maternal mortality.
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