The West Bank's maternal health crisis

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Support our nonprofit journalism]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     June 12, 2024 Hi there. My name is Sophie Murguia, deputy managing editor here at Mother Jones. I want to introduce you to Niveen Draghmeh, a 35-year-old midwife in the West Bank, for whom just getting to work on time can be a monumental task. Since the start of the war, Israel has dramatically increased the number of military checkpoints that dot the occupied territory, meaning that Draghmeh’s 8-mile trip to work now takes between two and three hours. She fears for her safety every day, too. After her husband was taken out of his car and beaten by Israeli soldiers on his commute, Draghmeh stopped taking her own car, instead opting for an expensive private taxi that she hoped would keep her safer. "We are truly under attack here, first because we are Palestinian and second because we are health care workers,” she told writer and photographer Lynzy Billing for our story on the [maternal health crisis]( plaguing West Bank midwives. Lynzy's reporting, which followed Draghmeh and other West Bank midwives during their arduous journeys to work, brought her to 11 maternity wards across Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron, Jenin, and Tulkwarm. Israel's severe restrictions on Palestinian movement have also resulted in more West Bank women giving birth at home, which experts fear will lead to an increase in maternal mortality. As Lynzy’s editor, I admired how she was able to capture not only the struggle and adversity faced by midwives and pregnant women, but also the moments of joy and resilience: the ecstasy that greets the arrival of a healthy newborn, the moments of shared laughter and camaraderie between staff on the maternity ward, the determination of the midwives who volunteer in their communities even after exhausting double shifts at the hospital. You can read Lynzy’s story—and see her stunning photographs of Draghmeh and the other West Bank midwives—[here](. —Sophie Murguia Advertisement [House Bookshop Ad]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [West Bank Midwives Are Facing a Maternal Health Crisis]( As Israel tightens restrictions on movement, Palestinian mothers are paying the price. STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY LYNZY BILLING MOTHER JONES MEMBERSHIP UPDATE   MOTHER JONES NEEDS YOUR HELP Straight to the point: Donations have been concerningly slow for our hugely important First $500,000 fundraising campaign. We urgently need your help, and a lot of help, over the next few weeks so we can pay for the one-of-a-kind journalism you get from us. Learn more in “[Less Dreading, More Doing](,” where we lay out this wild moment and how we can keep charging hard for you. And please help if you can: $5, $50, or $500—[every gift from every person]( truly matters right now. [Donate]( [Trending] [New Senate report blasts residential treatment facilities that “treat children as payouts”]( BY JULIA LURIE   [Right-wing campaign urges Supreme Court to protect fossil fuel interests]( BY DHARNA NOOR   [North Carolina House passes revised mask ban]( BY JULIA MÉTRAUX   [She was a top supporter of a right-wing mogul. Now she’s a star witness against him.]( BY DAN FRIEDMAN Advertisement [House Donations Ad]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [Are you there, God? It’s me, Justice Alito.]( Inside the movement to make the Supreme Court explicitly Christian. BY KIERA BUTLER Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Donate Monthly]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755