What's the problem?
In many parts of the world pregnancy can be a life-threatening condition - in Sierra Leone, one in every eight women who become pregnant risks dying as a result (the figure is one in 4,500 in developed countries). Many of these women are receiving no antenatal care - such as monitoring for high blood pressure or for signs of pre-eclampsia, which can be fatal - nor does any skilled attendant attend the delivery. Almost all the deaths that occur are preventable.

How does it affect you?
I am six months pregnant with my first child. I'm occasionally nervous about the labour, but I know I will receive a high standard of care from my local hospital in London. It upsets me that women in the same situation as me, but living in a different part of the world, are at great risk of death or illness because they are pregnant, something that has brought me joy. This is a very stark example of inequality.

What are you doing about it?
Amnesty International is campaigning to have the fees that are charged to pregnant women in developing countries, such as Sierra Leone, removed. Commitments to eliminating these fees have been made by the Sierra Leonean government and donor governments, including the UK, but a lack of political will means nothing has happened. Gordon Brown has indicated his commitment to tackling this issue - he told me so at a recent Downing Street reception. We need to keep up the pressure.

How can we get involved?
Tell your MP that this matters to you. You can find out more from the Amnesty website.