Gemma McCaw has shared a heartbreaking story of a solo mum dumped at temporary housing with no support after a traumatic birth at the same hospital where the star hockey player welcomed her first child. McCaw wanted to encourage New Zealanders to "walk a mile in someone else's footsteps before you judge them" as part of a powerful public movement against maternal suicide. McCaw's speech comes after decades of failed promises by Government to address New Zealand's "appalling" maternal suicide rates, which are five times worse per capita than the United Kingdom. About maternal suicide in New Zealand:• Every year at least 10 women are lost to maternal suicide in New Zealand - and experts say that's the "tip of the iceberg" as many go unreported. • The reported rate of maternal suicide in New Zealand is five times higher per capita than that of the UK, with Māori women overrepresented.

Source: New Zealand Herald March 09, 2021 20:41 UTC