“We crossed our target of training 400 new health activists in 2009 by November. Over 1,000 women have attended training sessions in 2009 and 412 have been designated as health activists” – Dr. Shiban Ganju. There is no reason for a woman to have to bury 7 children in her lifetime; there is no reason for a boy to lose his mother to infection that could have been easily prevented with proper hygiene. Please visit Save-A-Mother.org for more information on how you can help increase (and eliminate!) maternal mortality rates in some of the most affected areas in the world.

One in every 8 babies in the United States is born premature. A study conducted by Thomson Healcare in 2001 found that premature babies are fourteen times as costly as healthy, full-term babies. First year health costs for premies were in excess of $41,000, while first year health costs for full-term babies were under $3,000. Every year over 550,000 uninsured women give birth in the United States, many of whom would rather forgo doctor visits and expensive medication, then shell out cash for care (and the social costs are tremendous). Even insured parties are angry with the current system. Here is what one unsatisfied customer had to say in response to a New York Times Online debate on health care

Deep thanks to everyone who signed the Petition for the release of two American journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling, who were in North Korea in march shooting a documentary when they were arrested on charges of illegal entry. The two women had been inmates at a “political offense village” – a place which utilizes a number of inhumane correctional methods, such as beatings, maiming, and forced exercise – and have been released today, Tuesday August 4th, 2009. Thanks to the efforts of former President Bill Clinton and the ‘kind heart’ of the capricious and sour little Kim Jong Il, the two women can return to their families safely and in one piece.

Two American women are facing 12 years of hard labor for their humanitarian efforts, one of them a mother, and yet the national media has not picked up the story with as much enthusiasm as that of Roxana Saberi. Unfortunately, the nature of the relationship between the United States and North Korea lends itself to a muted media response. Additionally, the so-called Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has established a record of unpredictable and hostile behavior, most recently with walking out of UN negotiations, restarting it’s nuclear program, testing new intermediate-range missiles, and detonating its largest-ever nuclear device (and that’s just in the last several months). Join Pledge For Moms in an effort to liberate Euna Lee and Laura Ling – sign the petition today!

Sotomayor was raised in a Bronx housing project and attended some of the nation’s most prominent universities. It’s the kind of feel-good story that makes you appreciate the vast opportunities America has to offer everyone (even poor immigrants like me). Her inspirational life experiences have rendered her a hero as a woman, as a member of the Hispanic community, and as a tough and fair judge. So what are people saying about this nomination? Obama had a very large selection of qualified candidates – Cass Sunstein, Elena Kagan, and Diane Wood…

“If the same number of people were killed for belonging to a certain ethnic group or special group, for being black, Jewish or indigenous, people would react differently. But they are women, and unfortunately people are desensitized,” stated Susan Chiarotty, coordinator of CEVI, in response to one of the questions at a Q&A regarding the womens rights movement in Latin America. According to CEVI, despite 30 years of extensive work in the Latin communities (where women-conscious changes are taking place, albeit very slowly), real progress will happen only when certain aspects of the ‘Hidden Genocide’ are finally publicly acknowledged.

Lately, it is impossible to avoid the President’s name in casual conversation, or to turn a corner without seeing the iconic blue and red vector of his demeanor on a T-shirt… Were it any other politician, I think that the message of hope and unity would have rung empty, trite, and insincere; but I have faith that with the new administration, programs such as Mothers Day Every Day and the United Nations Population Fund can flourish and truly make a huge difference in the lives of moms both here and abroad. WRA, CARE and a bipartisan group of civic leaders and Members of Congress…