(Click image to enlarge)

12×12 inches
Watercolor, colored pencil, on illustration board

Purchase options:

6×6 Digital “Mini Print”: $20

8×8 Digital print (100 in a series):  $50
12×12 Giclee Print (50 in a series):  $150

Original (12×12 inches):  SOLD

20% of ALL proceeds from this image goes to the Safe Motherhood Quilt Project

For more information about the types of printing please go here.

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This piece was done for Ina May Gaskin, creator of the Safe Motherhood Quilt Project, with Laura Gilkey and Birth Matters, VA.

It was done in honor of the women who have lost their lives during or around the time of childbirth, for the women who were dealt unfortunate and unavoidable circumstances, the women who do not have access to good maternity care, and the women who were a part of a maternity system that failed them.

On April 10 Ina May and supporters of the Quilt Project will be marching the quilt up the steps of the National Monument in Washington, DC.  This piece will be printed on the supporter’s t-shirts.

About the Safe Motherhood Quilt Prjoect:

The quilt is made up of individually designed squares; each one devoted to a woman in the U.S. who has died of pregnancy-related causes since 1982. One quilt square is designed and dedicated to each mother’s memory and may mention the date and place of death and the name of the woman. The Safe Motherhood Quilt is the voice for women who can no longer speak for themselves.

To be honored and remembered on The Safe Motherhood Quilt:

• The woman died as a result of a complication of pregnancy or birth
• The woman’s death occurred since 1982
• The woman died within a calendar year after the end of her pregnancy (documented by an obituary, death certificate, relative’s or witness’ account).

Did you know…that the United States ranks behind at least 40 other nations in maternal mortality rates according to the World Health Organization. In 2005, the United States reported 15.1 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, up from 7.5 per 100,000 in 1982.

Did you know…that black women in the United States have 4 times the risk of dying from childbirth or childbirth related complications. Hispanic women in the United States, similarly, are 1.6 times more likely than non-Hispanic white women to die from pregnancy-related causes.

Did you know…that the Centers for Disease Control estimated in 1998 that the US maternal death rate is actually 1.3 to three times that reported in vital statistics records because of underreporting of such deaths.

Did you know…that reporting of maternal deaths in the United States is done via an honor system. There are no statutes providing for penalties for misreporting or failing to report maternal deaths.

Did you know…that the Centers for Disease Control estimates that more than half of the reported maternal deaths in the United States could have been prevented by early diagnosis and treatment.

For more information see the below video: