Up to 8,000 women die yearly during childbirth

A sickening statistic has emerged: 8,000 pregnant women die every year because of pregnancy and childbirth-related complications, the United Nations Population Fund reports. The expectant mothers, a majority of whom are between ages 19-49, die of varying causes, depending on their county poverty index. In the worst-hit county, about 20 more women die than in the least-afflicted. The UNPF says the maternal mortality ratio remains at an "unacceptably high level of 488 deaths per 100,000 live births". It advises that all actions must be intensified to hit the targets, especially the MDG 5 target...