For an emerging global economic power famous for its medical prowess, India continues to have unacceptably high maternal mortality levels. In 2005, the last year for which international data is available, India’s maternal mortality ratio was 16 times that of Russia, 10 times that of China, and 4 times higher than in Brazil. Of every 70 Indian girls who reach reproductive age, one will eventually die because of pregnancy, childbirth, or unsafe abortion, compared to one in 7,300 in the developed world. More will suffer preventable injuries, infections, and disabilities, often serious and lasting a lifetime, due to failures in maternal care.