No Mothers Day

Christy Turlington Burns suggests you show your support for moms everywhere—by disappearing for the day

As a mother, the health of your child is the most important thing in the world. You’d easily give a kidney or even a leg if it meant your child wouldn’t have to suffer.

But take a moment to think about if you weren’t there to take care of them. This is the idea behind No Mother’s Day, a campaign started by Christy Turlington’s foundation, Every Mother Counts, which advocates maternal health around the globe.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), every day approximately 1000 women die from pregnancy—or childbirth-related health issues—that’s more than 360,000 deaths a year. This Sunday, No Mother’s Day asks moms to forgo the cards, presents and flowers, and to instead “disappear” as an act of support to those mothers who have lost their lives, and to remind family how much you’d be missed if you were gone.

The former supermodel became interested in the issue when she experienced health problems from her first birth. A concern easily taken care of with modern medicine and facilities, upon research, she discovered it was the leading cause of maternal fatality. Since then, Turlington has passionately advocated for the health rights of pregnant women, and to reduce the number of deaths caused by pregnancy and childbirth complications.

Celebrate No Mothers Day by turning off your phones. Tell your family you’re not accepting gifts. In the U.S. alone, more than $18.5 billion will be spent on Mother’s Day celebrations this year. Instead, ask your loved ones to donate that money to Every Mother Counts. Tell them they can help give the greatest gift of all to a mother—living to raise their child. —Anne Ichikawa