[NextGenderation]
November 2006
Marie Stopes International
Announces
Global Conference on Abortion
Next year, international sexual and reproductive
health agency, Marie
Stopes International, will hold a major international
conference in
London
focusing on abortion. The event, to be held on 23-24
October 2007 at
the
Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in Westminster,
will mark the 40th
anniversary of the Abortion Act in the UK.
The conference: Safe Abortion â Whose right? Whose
choice? Who cares?
(working title) will confront both international and
national issues
associated with unsafe abortion, focusing on rights,
advocacy and
funding.
âThe conference will not address the clinical issues
around abortion,
but
instead call on governments, funders, and decision
makers from the UK,
Europe and in the developing world to do something
concrete to reduce
the
appalling loss of life due to unsafe abortion,â? said
Patricia
Hindmarsh,
External Relations Director of Marie Stopes
International.
âAt least 70,000 women die every year due to unsafe
abortion, a
shocking
statistic in itself. But what is equally shocking is
the fact that,
despite
all the rhetoric, promises and international
commitments to reduce
maternal
mortality and provide women everywhere with access to
quality sexual
and
reproductive health services, this death toll has
remained unchanged
for
decades. It is time for governments and funders to
step up and take
action.â?
October 27th 2007 will also mark the 40th anniversary
of the 1967
Abortion
Act, which Marie Stopes International contends is long
overdue for
reform.
âIn this day and age, the 1967 Act is an
anachronism. It is a
paternalistic
piece of legislation that denies women the right to
decide for
themselves
whether or not to have an abortion. We will use this
conference as a
platform to advocate for much needed law reform,â?
said Liz Davies,
Director
of UK Operations.
For more information, please contact Tony Kerridge on
+44 (0)20 7574
7353
or
Diana Thomas on +44 (0)20 7574 7416 or email
press@???
If you are interested in attending this event,
please contact Laura
Brownlee on
0207 324 4372 or email
laura.brownlee@???
- ends -
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Registered office: Oxfam House, John Smith Drive,
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