As Afghanistan's future unfolds, concerns turn to women's health

[unhappycamper]

As Afghanistan's future unfolds, concerns turn to women's health
By Reid Davenport | McClatchy Newspapers
Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2010

WASHINGTON — Just hours after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reiterated her commitment to protecting Afghan women's rights at an international conference in Kabul, members of women's advocacy groups met Tuesday on Capitol Hill to discuss progress and issues concerning Afghan women's health.

Speakers in Washington highlighted the increased number of midwives in the country since the U.S.-led invasion, while saying that more needs to be done to protect Afghan women during childbirth. Afghanistan has the second highest maternal mortality rate in the world, after Sierra Leone.

"They are part of our national security," said Rep. Susan Davis, D-Calif. "The women who are (in Afghanistan who) can change their communities can also provide the kind of security that we seek."

The status of women in Afghanistan has become more prominent recently, as the Taliban regime, which stoned women for adultery and harassed women for failing to wear enshrouding burqas, has grown in power and influence again.

Since 2003, more than 1,400 midwives have graduated from U.S.-supported programs, accounting for about half the midwives in Afghanistan, said Melanne Verveer, the ambassador-at-large for global women's issues at the State Department.



unhappycamper comment: Susan, Susan. Are you serious about including Afghan women in the United States "national security"? Have some kool-aide.