Anne Ferris (Wicklow, Labour)

Next year we will hold the Presidency of the EU, which gives the Government a great opportunity to put sexual and reproductive health and rights at the forefront of the UN development agenda. The framework for the millennium development goals expires in 2015 and it is vital these rights are prioritised for the next framework. I do not think the link between sexual and reproductive rights and poverty alleviation is being made sufficiently clear and the neglect of this issue is to the detriment of the millennium development goals. This is not a controversial issue, although some may attempt to undermine it by claiming otherwise.

Among these rights are the right to information on these matters and the right to gender equality. Access to adequate health facilities is also required. It is clear that women who gain access to greater educational and economic choice have a significantly greater chance of breaking intergenerational cycles of poverty.

Ill-health from causes related to sexuality and reproduction remains a major cause of preventable death, disability and suffering among women, particularly in low and middle income countries.

A briefing report from the WHO on progress in this area stated that the decline in the maternal mortality ratio has been slow and remains uneven. Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, east Asia, north Africa, southeast Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean have shown no incline and none of them have reached the target of 5.5% required to achieve the millennium development goal target.

Some 8 million of the estimated 210 million women who become pregnant each year experience life-threatening complications. Every year 536 women die during pregnancy and childbirth. Some 99% of these deaths occur in developing countries, making maternal mortality the health statistic with the greatest disparity between developed and developing countries. Ensuring universal access to skilled attendants at childbirth, emergency obstetric care, postpartum care, preventing unsafe abortions and widening contraceptive choices are some of the interventions shown to reduce maternal morbidity. I urge the Government to take the opportunity presented by the EU Presidency to ensure these items are firmly on the agenda.

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