No Real Surprise

Out of all the Millenium Development Goals, the two that are lagging behind the most are goals 4 and 5: decreases in maternal mortality and child mortality. I think economic goals probably receive more attention because they contribute to the overall economy of a country more fully in the short term--however, maternal and child mortality play huge, albeit subtle, roles in the economy. When mothers die others must take care of her children, which may take them out of or reduce their time in the paid labor force. Children are the promise of any society and when they die so does the future: future laborers, future visionaries, future inventors...More effort needs to be put into these two goals; President Obama is busy reworking the healthcare system and I hope he factors maternal mortality into his plans.