Pregnancy is special

Abstract

"Pregnancy is special--let's make it safe" is the slogan of the 1998 World Health Day. This worldwide focus on safe motherhood comes as the Safe Motherhood Initiative, launched in 1987, starts into its second decade. Pregnancy is a normal physiological process, but it is associated with certain risks to the life and health of both mother and baby. There has been much progress in making motherhood safer in the past 11 years, but much more needs to be done. A consultation that marked the Safe Motherhood Initiative's 10th birthday last year developed 10 messages that are key to future efforts to improve maternal and infant health. The special feature in this issue of Safe Motherhood examines these 10 messages in some detail and looks at their implications for health services, national policies, and community attitudes in the next century.