Summary

Kristof and WuDunn list the main physical causes for maternal mortality but point out that there are also sociological and biological factors to blame. In a small hospital in Cameroon, Kristof and WuDunn visited Prudence who was in labor with her fourth child. But there were complications – her cervix was blocked and she needed a c-section. The family didn’t have the $100 that the procedure would cost.

Kristof and WuDunn report that Dr. Pascal Pipi told the authors that Prudence’s fetus had died and was rotting and poisoning Prudence. Pipi would only operate on Prudence in an effort to save her life if the family paid the $100. Kristof and WuDunn agreed to pay the fee and, because Prudence needed a transfusion, to also donate blood. Three days after the surgery, Prudence died. Kristof and WuDunn write that...