Maternal health among adolescents in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remains a largely unexplored and frequently neglected area within the public health field. Adolescent birth rates remain disproportionately high in LMICs, accounting for approximately 97% of all adolescent births globally. The prevalence of child marriage, poverty, gender-based violence, and limited access to and utilization of contraceptive methods all contribute to this startling statistic.

During humanitarian emergencies, women and newborns face severe disparities and heightened vulnerabilities, increasing their risk of illness and death. Humanitarian crises—caused by conflict, climate-related disasters, or forced displacement—disrupt health systems, limit access to essential services, and increase the likelihood of preventable deaths. In 2023, 58% of global maternal deaths, 50% of newborn deaths, and 51% of stillbirths worldwide occurred in the 29 countries with a UN humanitarian response plan or regional response plan. In humanitarian emergencies, a lack of skilled health personnel, inadequate infrastructure, and shortages of essential medicines are common—resulting in limited access to both basic and emergency maternal and newborn care. A fight for humanitarian aid is also a challenge, as maternal and newborn health are often under-prioritized or neglected in humanitarian response.

In South Korea, pet strollers have become more popular than baby strollers. Sales reports from an e-commerce firm in that country noted that sales of infant strollers fell by 43% in 2023, while the sales of pet strollers rose by 57%—and consumer demand for pet products continued to grow into the first months of 2024. There has also been an uptick in the opening of veterinary hospitals that is outpacing the establishment of pediatric clinics in many neighborhoods.

As Indians celebrated the nation’s 78th Independence Day on August 15, its women cried for freedom on the same streets where their forebears shouted: “Vande Mataram” or “I salute thee, motherland.” That battle slogan was built for nonviolent resistance, and India’s women now stand united to fight against the continued violation of their dignity and their bodies.

A recent study from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and its partners found that women and girls of African descent living in the Americas are up to three times more likely to die from preventable maternal death causes. So it is no surprise that UNFPA’s Executive Director of Programs, Diene Keita, is calling attention to this challenge.

Each day, almost 800 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. A maternal death occurs every two minutes. Maternal mortality is defined as the death of a woman from complications of pregnancy or childbirth that occur during the pregnancy or within 6 weeks after the pregnancy ends.*

Two years ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency after a multi-country outbreak of mpox (formerly known as monkeypox). Now, in the summer of 2024, mpox is on the rise again. On August 14, The WHO declared a new public health emergency due to a recent outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and other African countries.

We’re often told that we’re living during a population crisis, a time of simultaneous concerns born of too many people to sustain necessary resources for a healthy planet, and too few working-age people to support a healthy economy. Population dynamics and trends are key to national and international security and contribute to the overall wellbeing of a society. Fertility, along with mortality and migration, is central to population and its importance to demographers, policymakers, economists, and a country’s development is without question. But focusing on population trends without considering the experiences of the billions of individuals who make up those trends—each with a unique life course, personal aspirations, and individual potential—establishes an unhealthy and dangerous tension that can strip women of their rights and leave them socially disenfranchised.