Global sexual and reproductive health agency, Marie Stopes International, is launching a moving publication featuring women's voices from all over the developing world who have experienced illegal and unsafe abortion. For some of these women, the choice of whether or not to undergo an abortion can be a matter of life and death.
"I am living with HIV. What I fear is that we might get a child who is HIV positive and I would die tomorrow and leave this child with all that difficulty. I don’t have a father, I don’t have any other person who would look after a child especially one with this kind of status."
Every year 68,000 women die from unsafe abortion – one every eight minutes.
Hosted by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Population, Development and Reproductive Health (APPG), the launch of cries and whispers: untold stories of unsafe abortion will feature guest of honour, Marie O'Riordan, editor of Marie Claire magazine. Also speaking will be Faustina Fynn-Nyame, midwife and Programme Director for Marie Stopes International Ghana. Cries and whispers also features the emotive photography of Susan Schulman and Peter Caton. Enclosed is an invitation to this exclusive event – please RSVP to Diana Thomas (see below) or Alan Sadler (details on the invitation).
The publication comes out in advance of the Marie Stopes International Global Safe Abortion Conference on 23-24 October at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in Westminster. Both the publication and conference mark the 40th anniversary (27 October, 2007) of the United Kingdom's 1967 Abortion Act. Press accreditation is now being accepted for this conference via www.globalsafeabortion.org/press.
Marie Stopes International has over 30 years experience of working in sexual and reproductive health in the UK, Europe, Australia and in the developing world. We are one of the largest providers of safe abortion services in the world. During those 30 years, laws have changed and access to safe abortion has ebbed and flowed. Some gains have been made, but in certain countries those who oppose abortion rights are becoming more vocal, undermining both rights and access.
For more information on the launch or the conference, contact Diana Thomas at diana.thomas@mariestopes.org.uk, 020 7034 2317 or Anna Mawer on 020 7034 2307