By JULIE ULBRICHT
The moment Kate Middleton emerged from St Mary’s Hospital, the first thing I noted was how moved I was by such joyful scenes. Breakfast television was broadcasting a special moment that displayed dignity, a sense of occasion and humanity. I was surprised at the emotion of the whole affair, especially as I realised I was crying (oh, shoosh). And what I have come to realise over the course of the morning is that I, along with countless others, have not been stirred necessarily by the fact that a child destined to be King by virtue of his family line was born – far from it. It’s more that this baby boy was brought safely into the world by loving parents and, less romantically, perhaps, by access to skilled medical and clinical staff.
Send Hope Not FlowersOne such donor summed up this sentiment when she tweeted, “I’ll be donating to @Send_Hope not flowers’ for the #RoyalBaby! For the women in the Asia-pacific who could use some royal treatment :)”.
Because what the birth of the royal baby could remind us, is that no woman should have to die in childbirth, no matter where they are born.
You see, somewhere in the world, one woman dies every 90 seconds because of complications during labour.
Ninety-nine per cent of deaths take place in developing countries – notably South East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. In nine out of ten cases, a mother’s death could have been prevented if she had had access to even the most basic care or facilities.