--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Yes, we've cut the maternal mortality…" description: "\"Yes, we've cut the maternal mortality rate in half, but far too many women are still denied critical access to reproductive health care and safe childb..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b76/hillary-clinton-51_access_yes-we-ve-cut-the-maternal-mortality-rat_2211390.jpg" --- # Yes, we've cut the maternal mortality rate in half, but… ![“Yes, we've cut the maternal mortality rate in half, but far too many women are still denied critical access to reproductive health care and safe childbirth, and laws don't count for much if they're not enforced. Rights have to exist in practice - not just on paper. Laws have to be backed up with…” quote by Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b76/hillary-clinton-51_access_yes-we-ve-cut-the-maternal-mortality-rat_2211390.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b76/hillary-clinton-51_access_yes-we-ve-cut-the-maternal-mortality-rat_2211390.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b76/hillary-clinton-51_access_yes-we-ve-cut-the-maternal-mortality-rat_2211390.jpg) > “Yes, we've cut the maternal mortality rate in half, but far too many women are still denied critical access to reproductive health care and safe childbirth, and laws don't count for much if they're not enforced. Rights have to exist in practice - not just on paper. Laws have to be backed up with resources and political will. And deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed.” [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reducing maternal deaths is insufficient without ensuring women can actually obtain needed reproductive and childbirth services; laws must be enforced and cultural barriers dismantled. **In simple terms:** Health rights need real access, not just laws. Key Takeaway Enforce laws and change cultural norms. Themes health equity women's rights policy implementation Mood determined urgent Type policy advocacy When to use this quote - hospital funding - community education - legal enforcement - policy advocacy Key Concepts human rights public health social change Questions to Reflect On - How can resources be allocated to enforce existing health laws? - What cultural shifts are needed to support women's health rights? A Different Perspective Legal protections alone cannot overcome deep cultural resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Access](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/access/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Childbirth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childbirth/) [Code](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/code/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Health care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health-care/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Mortality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mortality/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Political will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-will/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Religious belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-belief/) [Religious beliefs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-beliefs/) [Reproductive health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reproductive-health/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) ## Related quotes > [Laws have to be backed up with resources and political will. And deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/laws-have-to-be-backed-up-with-resources-and-political-will-and-deep/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [“My rights are not derived from any government. My rights are not denied by any majority. My rights are because I exist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/my-rights-are-not-derived-from-any-government-my-rights-are-not/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [“Political rights do not exist because they have been legally set down on a piece of paper, but only when they have become the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-rocker/political-rights-do-not-exist-because-they-have-been-legally-set-down/) [Rudolf Rocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-rocker/) > [True rights, such as those in our Constitution, or those considered to be natural or human rights, exist simultaneously among people. That means exercise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-e-williams/true-rights-such-as-those-in-our-constitution-or-those-considered-to/) [Walter E. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-e-williams/) > [Just as man can't exist without his body, so no rights can exist without the right to translate one's rights into reality, to think,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/just-as-man-can-t-exist-without-his-body-so-no-rights-can-exist/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [I believe all Americans are born with certain inalienable rights. As a child of God, I believe my rights are not derived from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/i-believe-all-americans-are-born-with-certain-inalienable-rights-as-a/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [My starting point is that I've been a minority in this country for my whole life. I have understood that you have to fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humza-yousaf/my-starting-point-is-that-i-ve-been-a-minority-in-this-country-for-my/) [Humza Yousaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humza-yousaf/) > [ Political \[or individual\] rights do not exist because they have been legally set down on a piece of paper, but only when they have… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-rocker/political-or-individual-rights-do-not-exist-because-they-have-been/) [Rudolf Rocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-rocker/) > [There is no such dichotomy as 'human rights' versus 'property rights.' No human rights can exist without property rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-is-no-such-dichotomy-as-human-rights-versus-property-rights-no/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“One target of the fifth UN Millennium Development Goal (UNMDG) to improve maternal health, is to reduce maternal mortality by three-quarters by 2015.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-palmer/one-target-of-the-fifth-un-millennium-development-goal-unmdg-to/) [Gabrielle Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-palmer/) > [“between 1915 and 1930, US maternal mortality did not decline and deaths of babies from birth injuries actually increased. Hospitals advertised widely, urging mothers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-palmer/between-1915-and-1930-us-maternal-mortality-did-not-decline-and/) [Gabrielle Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-palmer/) > [A few countries like Sri Lanka and Honduras have led the way in slashing maternal mortality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-d-kristof/a-few-countries-like-sri-lanka-and-honduras-have-led-the-way-in/) [Nicholas D. Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-d-kristof/) > [It is imperative that we address the barriers to access and the systemic racism that we know is contributing to our astronomically high maternal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leana-s-wen/it-is-imperative-that-we-address-the-barriers-to-access-and-the/) [Leana S. Wen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leana-s-wen/) > [Statistically, the United States rates number 39 in maternal mortality. This means that it is safer to be pregnant and to give birth in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-lim/statistically-the-united-states-rates-number-39-in-maternal-mortality/) [Robin Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-lim/) > [Young women who live in areas with high maternal mortality change their behavior less in response to HIV than young women who live in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-oster/young-women-who-live-in-areas-with-high-maternal-mortality-change/) [Emily Oster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-oster/) ## More by Hillary Clinton > [When it comes to bullying small businesses, Donald Trump is the poster boy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/when-it-comes-to-bullying-small-businesses-donald-trump-is-the-poster/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I'm going to do everything I can to get myself elected, but that's not enough. 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