Mothers of Mercy

On the morning of May 13, the day after the devastating earthquake shook Sichuan province, 21-year-old Chen Shichao went into labor.

The poor rural woman, who lives with her husband in the small town of Nanquan, first traveled to the nearest medical facility, Shifang Maternal & Children Health (MCH) Hospital. There she was told that her labor was complicated by a condition known as cephalopelvic disproportion, meaning her pelvis was too small to allow the birth.