Maternal mortality and human rights: from theory to practice

This chapter first discusses the evolution of maternal mortality from a development concern into a major human rights issue. Key developments precipitating the rise of maternal mortality towards the centre of an international human rights agenda include a greater focus on economic, social, and cultural rights by the international human rights community; the development of a reproductive health and human rights agenda; and the role of the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health and civil society in calling attention to the issue. The chapter then turns to the different strands of work on maternal mortality and human rights by researchers and practitioners. It identifies three ways that human rights have been used to support maternal mortality reduction: firstly, as an authoritative and powerful framework for research and advocacy; secondly, to enhance accountability for maternal mortality through engaging international and domestic human rights machinery; and, thirdly, through their integration into development and public health policies, programmes and strategies