What to Give the Developing World on Mother's Day

A birth pill.

Misoprostol is a generic drug originally developed to treat ulcers, but it’s predominately used off-label for obstetrics. When a mother takes it immediately after delivery, it can effectively stop the leading cause of maternal death in most developing countries: postpartum hemorrhage or excessive bleeding. What’s more, it’s an easy-to-take tablet with a long shelf life, so it’s suitable for the vast majority of women who deliver at home, in remote villages, far from skilled medical care.

A dose of care.

Vulnerable children require more than food and medicine; they need affection. To nurture them, we need to nurture the mothers on whom their lives depend.

An education.

FOR millions of girls around the world, motherhood comes too early. Those who bear children as adolescents suffer higher maternal mortality and morbidity rates, and their children are more likely to die in infancy. One reliable way to solve this problem is through education. The more affordable it is, the longer girls will stay in school and delay pregnancy.

A safer labor.

In West Africa, only about 1 percent of pregnant women have Caesarean deliveries because the procedure isn’t widely available. When labor is obstructed, the baby is trapped in the pelvis, and labor can last up to a week.

A custom drug.

Pregnancy acts as a wild card when it comes to medication. Changes in blood flow, digestion, kidney function and enzymatic activity alter the ways that drugs act on the body. There is almost no data on how antivirals function during pregnancy, and the same is true for many other drugs on the market.

Pregnant women deserve better treatment based on facts not on supposition.

Peace.