Marie Stopes International pays tribute to Dr Allan Rosenfield, pioneer in reproductive health
Marie Stopes International is deeply saddened by the recent death of Dr Allan Rosenfield, former dean of Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health; a true pioneer in the field of reproductive health and an inspiration to many.
Renowned for his groundbreaking work on women’s health and human rights, Dr Rosenfield’s innovative work in family planning, maternal health and HIV/AIDS has been instrumental in shaping today’s thinking around reproductive health and women’s rights.
His tireless efforts to put women at the centre of public health and his persistent advocacy for family planning and sex education have changed the public health field forever.
Dr Rosenfield was among the first to call for specific attention to maternal health as an objective in itself, rather than an adjunct concern to children's health. In 1985, he co-authored the seminal paper published in the The Lancet: “Maternal Mortality — A Neglected Tragedy: Where is the M in MCH?”, in which he drew attention to the focus of providers on child health in maternal and child health (MCH) programmes at the expense of the health, and often lives, of women.
Speaking at the World AIDS Conference in 2000 in Durban, South Africa, he again demanded attention for maternal care, highlighting the ethical imperative to offer HIV-positive mothers ongoing care and treatment for their HIV infection, rather than only anti-retrovirals during pregnancy to prevent transmission to their newborns.
Dr Rosenfield’s calls for action resonated among many international health groups and policy makers around the world and resulted in an increased focus on addressing universal shortage of effective maternal health care, including through major new initiatives, such as the Safe Motherhood Initiative, the Averting Maternal Death and Disability Program (AMDD) and the MTCT-Plus Initiative.
Despite his illness, Dr Rosenfield continued to fight for the lives and reproductive choices of women up till the last days of his life. Marie Stopes International is humbled that just a few days before his passing, he insisted on leading a statement from public health professionals criticising USAID’s recent decision to force governments in multiple African countries to discontinue the provision of US-funded contraceptive commodities to Marie Stopes International. It was a precious reminder of a great man and all he stood for in his long career.
His legacy will be carried forward through the work of the numerous organisations and public health professionals he inspired and who learned from his leadership. We continue to be committed to our shared goal of saving lives and promoting choice of every women every where.