Updates

Ottawa, Canada - Canada's Prime Minister, Stephan Harper, is highlighting the healthcare plight of mothers and infants in the developing world as a means of transforming the role of the G8 club of wealthy countries.

Harper is asking the group to focus on development and international security issues and he's hoping maternal and child health will become Canada's "signature" focus at the G8 meeting. Since the G20 has usurped the G8's role as an economic forum, the Prime Minister is hoping these development issues can take center stage at the G8 meetings.

Port-au-Prince, Haiti – A major earthquake centered just 10 miles from Port-au-Prince has devastated the country, killing an estimated 200,000 people. Survivors are struggling to find necessary resources, such as food, water and health supplies. The Reproductive Health Response in Conflict (RHRC) Consortium estimates that there are approximately 63,000 pregnant women in Port-­au?Prince, 7,000 of whom will deliver in the coming month. Further, 15% (9,450 women) of all pregnant women will also require care for life threatening pregnancy complications.

WASHINGTON, DC – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for renewed support for and dedication to international family planning and reproductive health programs in a speech from the U.S. Department of State.