Conflict Makes Pregnancy More Dangerous
A new United Nations report highlights that armed conflicts make pregnancy five times more dangerous by disrupting access to maternal care. The report emphasizes the urgent need to protect maternal health services in crisis zones. The UNFPA stated that safe birth is a right, not a privilege, and shared its efforts to prevent maternal deaths in humanitarian settings.
- A recent technical brief from the World Health Organization and partners reveals that nearly two-thirds of all maternal deaths globally happen in countries experiencing conflict or instability. In 2023, this accounted for an estimated 160,000 preventable maternal deaths in these settings. - The lifetime risk of a 15-year-old girl dying from a maternal cause is drastically higher in conflict zones, at 1 in 51, compared to a 1 in 593 risk for her counterpart in a stable country. - The maternal mortality ratio in conflict-affected nations is estimated to be 504 deaths per 100,000 live births, a stark contrast to the ratio of 99 in countries not facing conflict or fragility. - Conflict disrupts maternal care by destroying infrastructure, creating shortages of medical supplies, and causing a lack of medical personnel as they may be injured, killed, or displaced. For example, a study in the Tigray region of Ethiopia during the recent conflict showed significant increases in severe preeclampsia and obstructed labor. - Midwives and other healthcare workers in conflict zones face direct threats, including targeted attacks and kidnappings, forcing them to disguise themselves to avoid being identified as health personnel. In Somalia, conflict has contributed to a shortage of 20,000 midwives. - Beyond direct attacks on healthcare, conflict leads to higher rates of malnutrition and exposure to environmental toxins from weapons, which can negatively impact the health of both the mother and the newborn. - In Gaza, an estimated 50,000 pregnant women have had their access to maternal health services severely disrupted by bombardments, damaged health facilities, and shortages of water, food, and electricity. This has forced some women to give birth in shelters, their homes, or in the streets. - The UNFPA's 2024 State of World Population report, "Interwoven Lives, Threads of Hope," emphasizes that women and girls in conflict settings, as well as those from minority ethnic and racial groups, are more likely to die from lack of access to timely healthcare.
