The non-profit organization Save The Children has reported its 2011 Mothers' Index comparing the well-being of mothers and children in 164 countries with Norway at the top and Afghanistan at the bottom. The United States is 31st.
The report relies on information published by governments, research institutions and international agencies.
For the countries at the bottom life is grim, lack of clean water, limited education, few skilled health professionals, limited modern birth control methods. A typical Norwegian woman will have 18 years of education, live to be 83 and have a 1 in 175 chance of losing a child before its 5th birthday. The typical Afghanistan woman will have less than 5 years of education, will die before she is 45 and have a 1 in 5 chance of losing her child before its 5th birthday meaning nearly every mother will experience this.
Why didn't the United States rank higher
- Maternal mortality is 1 in 2,100 - the highest in any industrialized nation.
- Under 5 mortality is 8 in 1,000 births. 40 countries performed better.
- 58% of children in the US are enrolled in preschool, the 5th lowest country in the developed world.
- the least generous maternity leave policy in terms of duration and maternity leave policy of any wealthy nation.
- the US is also lagging behind with regard to the political status of women. Only 17% of congress are held by women, while Sweden is 45% and Iceland 43%
Isn't it interesting how the belief in evolution and the well-being of mother's and children correlate? The U.S. is still ahead of the fundamentalist Turkey. They rank 55.
To understand evolution a child will have to be introduced to many of the sciences and have a civilized society with clean water and health care. It introduces the cause and development of diseases and also provide the path to cures. It opens up the world instead of keeping it closed in primitive views of the world. Praying isn't enough. It doesn't make up for ignorance.
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