What we’re talking about when we talk about maternal health

Bev Oda’s office comes perhaps its closest so far to explaining exactly what will and won’t be included in the Prime Minister’s plan to deal with maternal and infant health worldwide.

A spokesman in Ms. Oda’s office said the Prime Minister has set out several specific areas that will be the focus of funding, but that family planning measures were never part of that group. Instead, they include immunization, access to clean water, better nutrition and improved training for health-care workers on the ground who are delivering babies and treating children.

It is instructive here to read Neil Morrison’s exchange with Ms. Oda’s office and the unanswered questions contained therein.