Maternal mortality rates are in sharp decline

Charis Gresser, writing in the Financial Times' Care: Maternal mortality rates are in sharp decline (July 7, 2012), reports that around 287,000 women die each year "because of complications from pregnancy or birth", but although this marks an improvement, Gresser reports that nearly two million babies still die every year "either during labour or shortly thereafter".
 

The article is certainly worth reading as it outlines what's working well and discusses how further improvements could be made.