For those of you who do not have your calendars marked and gifts or cards purchased , a reminder : Sunday is Mother 's Day , a `` holiday '' that many Americans have the luxury and good fortune to be able to observe . This year , the National Retail Federation estimates that Americans will spend around $ 18.6 billion on gifts for this one day -- even though most of us go through the motions of celebrating without having any idea about the day 's original intent . Mother 's Day can be traced back to Julia Ward Howe , and its aims were quite different from anything you 'll find today on a greeting card . In her Mother 's Day Proclamation of 1870 , Howe called on her `` sisters '' to work to establish peace so that her son could return home from war : `` In the name of womanhood and humanity , I earnestly ask that a general congress of women without limit of nationality may be appointed and held ... to promote the alliance of the different nationalities , the amicable settlement of international questions , the great and general interests of peace . '' This year , I would like to ask that we -- mothers and everyone else -- reignite the spirit of common purpose that Julia Ward Howe sought to inflame in Americans , and direct it toward a silent wartime that is taking hundreds of thousands of women 's lives each year -- childbirth . The World Health Organization estimates that some 360,000 girls and women die worldwide each year from pregnancy or childbirth-related complications . Nearly all of these deaths are preventable . It 's not that they are preventable if we find a cure , and it 's not that they are preventable if we extend expensive lifelong treatment regiments . They are preventable if we extend very basic , known and trusted services : if we help women get to health care facilities in their time of need ; if we ensure that a skilled professional is available to oversee their labor and delivery ; if we provide access to family planning so that children are spaced . These goals are all within our reach , but only if we decide that women 's lives are worth saving . What does the issue actually look like worldwide ? Opinion : Global health within our grasp if we do n't give up . While rates of maternal mortality are often highest in developing countries , particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia , in several of those countries we are beginning to see declines . Startlingly , maternal mortality rates have been rising in America . According to the World Health Organization , the rate of women who died from pregnancy-related complications in the U.S. increased by nearly 50 % from 1980 to 2008 -- a statistic that suggests this issue is one of equitable resources and education , not a lack of technology or infrastructure . Two years ago , I made a documentary film , `` No Woman , No Cry , '' and founded an advocacy and mobilization campaign called Every Mother Counts . I did both to raise awareness and support for maternal and child health care . We are trying to draw attention to an underreported global problem that can be solved if only we come together to make it a priority . Opinion : Mother 's Day is not so rosy in Africa . Our organization measures success by the actions taken to reduce maternal mortality and improve maternal health . The goal is 5 million actions by 2015 -- perhaps signing a pledge , running a 5K or even a marathon or donating an old cell phone so it can be used to facilitate communication and medical care in rural areas . Our website , everymothercounts.org , suggests specific actions to take , many of them straightforward steps that help spread the word or raise resources for simple solutions . Individually they may seem small but together , they can save lives . With that said , here is what we propose for Mother 's Day : a `` No Mothers Day . '' Our `` proclamation '' encourages mothers to join in solidarity to `` disappear '' for the day , out of solidarity with those who needlessly die in pregnancy and childbirth . We believe that in acting together , we can show just how much a mother is missed when she is gone . We 're spreading the word with a film to get families across the country talking about this issue , so that next year , there will be more mothers and families who can celebrate Mother 's Day together . Please join me at http : //www.facebook.com/everymothercounts , for No Mothers Day . Because together , our silence will speak the loudest for all mothers .
Christy Howe : Mother 's Day first pushed bringing sons home from war . She says we should use day to focus on health care for women in pregnancy and childbirth . Each year 5 million women die from pregnancy and childbirth ; her group provides ways to help . Writer : 2008 , observe a Every Mother Counts ; '' mothers should `` disappear '' to point out problem .