European experts talk about sexual rights
Published 1/11/2010 | Updated 1/18/2010
The conference "Europe on the Brink: Who will decide over your body?" was held in Uppsala in April 2008. Among other things, participants could take part of the results of a research project that has mapped political parties in Europe according to their stance on issues like sexual orientation, international development and termination of pregnancy.
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Listen to quotes from "Europe on the Brink"
Anne Van Lancker (President of the European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development, EPF
Kathleen Ferrier (MP, Christian Democrats CDA, Netherlands)
Caroline Spillane (Director of Crisis Pregnancy Agency, Ireland)
Dr Mary Henry (Senator, Republic of Ireland)
Hans Linde (MP, Left Party, Sweden)
Iveta Kelle (Executive Director, Latvian Association for Family Planning and Sexual Health)
Christiana Scoppa (Chief Communications officer at the Italian Association for Women in Development, AIDOS)
Professor Roger James Ingram (Director of the Centre for Sexual Health Ressearch at University of South hampton, UK)
Irene Donadio (Advocacy Officer at the International Planned Parenthood Federation, IPPF)
Darlene Antonino Custidio (MP for the Nationalist People's Coalition, NPC, The Philippines)
Nevingaye Erbatur (MP, Republican People's Party CHP, Turkey)
Christina Zampas (Senior Legal Advisor at Center for Reproductive Rights, CRR, USA)
Heléne Lööv (Doctor of History at Uppsala University Sweden)
Jon O'Brien (President, Catholics for Choice, USA)
About the conference
The Conference ”Europe on the Brink: Who will decide over your body?” presented a research project that mapped 79 political parties in 12 European, including the parties in the European Parliament, according to their line on issues like sexual orientation, international development and termination of pregnancy.
The findings and results that were presented were considered a great leap forward to a better understanding of political parties’ voting patterns on these sensitive issues and will help to educate and influence the SRHR positions of the political parties in the future which will be of particular importance with regard to the upcoming pan-European elections in June 2009.
Representatives from International Organisations such as UNFPA and the Council of Europe, researchers, scientists, SRHR experts and NGO representatives gathered in Uppsala/Sweden on the 28th to 30th of April to discuss the future agenda of sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender issues, women’s rights and how to deal with a growing opposition movement towards SRHR.
The 3-day conference generated significant media coverage throughout Sweden not only took stock of the present SRHR situation in Europe from a political and legal point of view. Participants also engaged in strategic discussions on how to deal with new scientific, societal, cultural and political challenges, such as immigration, the integration of (ethnic) minorities and their access to SRHR, the influence of religion in decision-making processes, the growing opposition movement, the need for a comprehensive sex education in school, a better integration and a heightened respect for the needs of young people in this process.
The conference that was organised by the European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development (EPF), the Swedish Family Planning Association RFSU and the Swedish All-party Parliamentary Group.