

Who’s Not Happy About a Falling Maternal Death Rate? - cwan
http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/whos-not-happy-about-a-falling-maternal-death-rate/

======
byrneseyeview
This is a very unfair title. They're unhappy about the news, not necessarily
unhappy about the death rate. If it's restated more honestly, it's much easier
to guess: who is unhappy that it's widely known that X is less of a problem
than before? Anyone who wants to solve X.

~~~
pierrefar
Not just "Anyone who wants to solve X" but anyone who gets money because X
remains unsolved.

------
credo
This is a rather misleading headline.

The title suggests that that people are unhappy with a falling maternal death
rate.

Yet, the column just talks about womens' health advocates who are concerned
that publicizing these numbers (without additional studies) may result in
funding cuts.

One can make a case that the advocates were wrong to ask for a delay. One can
also make a case that it is wrong to cut funding from a program that is
working or that funding cuts shouldn't happen until additional studies are
completed.

Yet, none of this suggests that the women's health advocates were unhappy
about the falling death rate

~~~
prodigal_erik
The question is what _other_ problem goes unsolved, if they dishonestly leave
policymakers to assume this problem remains more severe than it actually is
now.

~~~
ggchappell
That is an _excellent_ point. The article should certainly have mentioned it.
When resources are limited, questions of how to allocate them rarely come down
only to "do this or don't?"; instead they are "do this or do that?".

------
philwelch
This is just the old game where the first purpose of any organization or
movement is to perpetuate its own existence.

~~~
abstractbill
I'd say the _eventual_ purpose, rather than the first purpose, but otherwise
agree.

~~~
derefr
(I think he meant "first" as in "primary." Principle of Charity, here.)

~~~
philwelch
I did.

------
tomh-
I might be incredibly stupid, but what does this topic have to do with the
theme of HN?

------
jackfoxy
These days everything gets politicized.

------
scrod
Those scheming women's groups -- they'll stoop to any level to promote their
cause. It's almost as if they were fighting for peoples' lives!

~~~
sliverstorm
I very much appreciate your sarcasm ;)

But, it _is_ worth remembering that regardless how noble their cause or goal
may be, that does not put them above scrutiny.

