Human Rights- ­Components of State’s related issues Obligations ­Pregnancy and Childbirth • States should take steps to ensure availability of and access to the underlying determinants for a healthy pregnancy, include adequate nutrition, potable water, education, transportation and sanitation. • States should take steps to ensure that reproductive health information, goods and services— including access to perinatal care, skilled attendance during birth, emergency obstetric care, and medicines and technology essential to sexual and reproductive health—are available, accessible, acceptable, and of good quality. • States should take steps to ensure access to good quality maternal and reproductive health care. Assessing compliance • To what extent has the State developed and implemented a national strategy or plan to ensure access to maternal and reproductive health information, goods, and services and the reduction of maternal mortality and morbidity? • To what extent has the State allocated adequate budgetary, human, and administrative resources to the implementation of such strategies or plans? • What steps has the State taken to ensure that reproductive health goods or services essential to maternal health—such as uterotonic drugs (e.g., misoprostol) to stop haemorrhaging are legally available and, in the case of drugs, registered for obstetric use? • What measures has the State taken to eliminate any policies or practices that prioritize the foetus over life- or health-saving medical care for pregnant woman and girls? • What measures has the State taken to eliminate harmful practices that can contribute to high-risk pregnancies, such as female genital mutilation or early or forced marriages? • What steps has the State taken to ensure that women and girls are not exposed to preventable health risk because of pregnancy? 49