Leading up to Mother’s Day on May 13, the Huffington Post’s “Global Motherhood” section, in partnership with Mothers Day Every Day, an initiative of the White Ribbon Alliance and CARE, published opinion pieces from a diverse group of people. The following are summaries of three of those opinion pieces.

• Ambassador Eric Goosby, Huffington Post’s “Global Motherhood”: “What is the greatest gift we can give a mother this Mother’s Day? There are many answers, but one is to help her live and help her children live a healthy life,” Goosby, U.S. global AIDS coordinator, writes. “As we celebrate Mother’s Day and think about mothers around the world, the American people are working through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to make every day Mother’s Day, … quietly saving lives every day, restoring the health and hope of mothers and children,” he writes, concluding, “Preventing new HIV infections in children is a smart investment that saves lives, and the United States is proud to partner with countries throughout the world to champion this cause” (5/12).
• Chip Lyons and Mitchell Besser, Huffington Post’s “Global Motherhood”: “One of the most important jobs we can do is to help protect the health of mothers living with HIV, and empower them to protect their children and families as well,” Lyons, president and CEO of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, and Besser, an obstetrician and gynecologist, write, adding, “Mothers are not just our clients and our patients. They are full partners in our efforts to end pediatric AIDS — particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where more than 90 percent of new pediatric infections occur.” They share the stories of two HIV-positive mothers and conclude, “So as we commemorate Mother’s Day and the fight against pediatric AIDS, we have women like [these] — and countless other mothers around the world — to thank for the progress we’ve made so far. And when we reach our goal of an AIDS-free generation, we will have mothers to thank for carrying us across the finish line” (5/11).
• Donna Shalala and Ann Veneman, Huffington Post’s “Global Motherhood”: “As co-chairs of the White Ribbon Alliance and CARE’s Mothers Day Every Day U.S. advocacy initiative, we’ve added our voices to the existing movement [to ensure all women have the chance to have a safe pregnancy and give birth to a healthy baby] and are urging policymakers to do more for moms and babies everywhere,” Shalala, president of the University of Miami and former HHS secretary, and Veneman, former UNICEF executive director and former secretary of agriculture, write. “Progress has been made in recent years, but more must be done,” they note, concluding, “Empowering mothers — beginning with a healthy pregnancy and safe childbirth — is the key to improved health, self-sufficiency, economic growth and sustainability. By expanding proven strategies, hundreds of thousands of women and newborns can lead healthy, empowered lives. But it begins with us reminding our policymakers about the woman who cannot remind him herself” (5/13).