Reportedly, a majority of those in their 50s report the death of Bambi’s mother as one of their most memorable cinematic scenes. Though many were affected by that sad outcome, how supportive are people of their mothers?
Data reveals that some countries do better than others when it comes to caring for mothers, and helping them do their all-to-important role in our lives.
According to Numerator, many Americans plan to celebrate Mother’s Day (88%), even more than Father’s Day. Nearly half say they will buy mom a gift. Other popular ideas were about throwing a party (31%), going out to eat (30%) and cooking or baking (23%). Nearly half say they will get their mother flowers. More than a third will get mom a card, according to Numerator.
But how are mothers treated the other 364 days of the year (or 365 days in leap years)?
Like any American, I jumped into the comparative research across countries, compiled by Save the Children in the publication Mothers Index, hoping that out country would rank among the best in the world at caring for mothers. Sadly, that was not the case.
“The United States came in a disappointing 28th, falling below Estonia, Latvia, and Croatia,” writes Cassandra Clifford, as posted by the Foreign Policy Association. “The U.S. ranks lower than many developing nations due to the high maternal mortality rates (1 in 4,800) and infant mortality (8 per 1,000). As well, the U.S….has a lower pre-school enrollment at 61%, and in comparison to its developed counterparts, has considerably weaker maternity-leave policies.”
The average American spends roughly $100 on mothers for Mother’s Day. Based on population estimates, that’s about $3.5 billion a year. Imagine if we could spend it on one thing to improve the lives of moms.
How about fewer maternal deaths?
According to the Journal of Obstectrics and Gynocology, “Maternal deaths, per National Vital Statistics System methodology, increased by 144% — from 9.65 per 100,000 live births in 1999–2002 to 23.6 per 100,000 live births in 2018–2021, with increases occurring among all race and ethnicity groups.”
Sure, the U.S. is doing better than Third World countries, but America’s maternal mortality rate is the highest among high-income countries, and is twice as high as that of Norway or The Netherlands, according to the Commonwealth Fund. And it doesn’t need to be.
Research I did a few years ago showed that states with the most stringent anti-abortion bills had the highest rates of maternal mortality rates. These findings were confirmed this year by researchers at Johns Hopkins University who wrote, “The researchers found a possible 9.2% increase in pregnancy-associated deaths in states with abortion bans… Pregnancy-associated mortality includes deaths due to any cause during pregnancy and up to one year after pregnancy.”
Admitting this likely unintended consequence of such restrictive bans, such states which have more maternal deaths and these policies could find ways to offset such fatalities with increases in health care for lower-income people likely to be the victims of such tragedies, to make the laws truly more “pro-life.”
I recently read where a planned remake of the ‘Bambi’ movie proposes leaving out the scene where the mother is shot offscreen, because it would be seen as “too traumatizing” to kids today. Though a powerful film scene, leaving it out would whitewash the mother’s sacrifice, and loss, which too many must confront anyway. As the data shows, we can find ways to help mothers survive… or at least get closer to the lower maternal mortality rates of other developed countries.
John A. Tures is Professor of Political Science and Coordinator of the Political Science Program at LaGrange College, in LaGrange, Georgia. His first book, “Branded”, is available on Amazon. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu.