Despite severe partisanship in Washington, our leaders agree on the need to save lives. No matter which party has held power in the White House or Congress, the U.S has played a leading role in helping to save the lives of mothers and children from preventable deaths and suffering caused by illnesses such as pneumonia, polio, HIV/AIDS, malnutrition and malaria. Although we have made tremendous progress, we have more to do. According to UNICEF, every day, 15,000 children continue to die from preventable causes.
That’s why I’m delighted that the Reach Every Mother and Child Act (Reach Act), bipartisan legislation in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, would make key improvements to existing programs and help achieve the goal of ending preventable child and maternal deaths within a generation.