FIAPAC Webinar on 'Abortion and Contraception during the Covid-19 Pandemic' on 13 November 2020
6 November 2020
The International Federation of Abortion and Contraception Professionals (FIAPAC) is organising a webinar on ‘Abortion and Contraception during the Covid-19 Pandemic’ on Friday 13 November 2020, 11:00 AM to 15:45 PM (Central European Time).
Programme
Session 1: Global overview in Covid-19 times
Session 2: Models for abortion and contraception care/women-centred message
Session 3: Battles and strategies
This webinar is free for paid-up (2020) FIAPAC members. If you are not a FIAPAC member, please arrange your membership first before registering for the webinar!
Online FIAPAC membership form: https://www.fiapac.org/en/home/membership/
The FIAPAC membership fee is 60 euros (until the end of 2020) or 100 euros (including 2021).
Webinar registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_9jAZDlQkQAeu1GKuJivlgw
FSRH ‘Virtual SRH in 2020 and Beyond’ Conference on 18 November 2020
6 November 2020
The Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH) is hosting a FSRH Virtual SRH in 2020 and Beyond conference on 18 November 2020. Delegates attending will gain an expert-led, clinically robust update on the practice, science and politics surrounding the provision of sexual and reproductive healthcare (SRH).
Topics include the impact of COVID-19 on SRH, upcoming FSRH clinical guidance, contraception, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), gynaecological cancers and more.
Speakers confirmed include:
- Dr Asha Kasliwal, President, Faculty of Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH)
- Dr Edward Morris, President, Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (RCOG)
- Dr Cecilia Akrisie Anim CBE FRSA, Clinical Nurse Specialist
- Emma Collins, Sexual Health Nurse Consultant (Emergency Contraception)
- Dr Neha Pathak, Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Training Fellow, UCL Institute of Health Informatics; and Specialty Trainee in Community Sexual and Reproductive Health, Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
General tickets are £139 or £90 for students, trainees and nurses. Special rates are also available for FSRH members. The ticket price gives access to content to watch on-demand for up to 3 months after the event.
Find out more and register at: www.fsrhvirtual.org
BMJSRH Call for Papers on SRH Care during COVID-19
15 October 2020
BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health is an international journal that promotes evidence-informed practice for contraception, abortion and all aspects of sexual and reproductive health.
The journal publishes research papers, topical debates and commentaries to shape policy, improve patient-centred clinical care, and to set the stage for future areas of research.
The journal is seeking submissions on selected topics related to COVID-19 for rapid, high-quality, peer-reviewed publication.
Relevant topics may include:
- Delivery of SRH services (e.g. abortion/post-abortion care, contraception)
- Meeting the SRH needs of specific populations or groups (e.g. young, vulnerable, minority groups, those at risk of GBV)
- New models or settings for SRH care (e.g. telemedicine, outreach)
- Threats and opportunities for SRH as a result of COVID-19
Further details: BMJSRH Call for Papers on SRH Care during COVID-19 – October 2020
For more information on the journal visit https://srh.bmj.com
Joint BSACP/RSM Conference on ‘Excellence in Adversity: Abortion Care in the Coronavirus Pandemic’ on Monday 12 October 2020 – FINAL REGISTRATION REMINDER!
7 October 2020
BSACP/RSM Online Conference Registration
There are now only 6 days remaining in which to register for this year’s conference jointly organised by the British Society of Abortion Care Providers (BSACP) and the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) Sexuality & Sexual Health Section.
This will be the first national online conference for UK abortion providers, with an emphasis on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on abortion care and service delivery.
Conference Programme
View the programme with the final speaker line up and the six Free Communications selected from submitted abstracts. The 11 workshops in each of the morning and afternoon sessions comprising an exciting range of varied and topical themes are also listed.
Don’t miss this opportunity to update on the latest developments in abortion provision and care, and network with your colleagues, especially in the interactive workshop sessions.
If you plan to attend this event and haven’t yet registered, we would encourage you to register without delay in order to secure a place on your first-choice workshop(s) as the number of delegates permitted to attend individual workshops will be limited.
Conference Registration
BSACP members qualify for a discounted registration fee. Also anyone booking both sessions (i.e. all day) can get a £10 discount by using the code 10SEP50 when completing the booking form.
The conference programme/registration form is at: https://www.rsm.ac.uk/events/sexuality-and-sexual-health/2020-21/sep50/
To join BSACP, go to https://bsacp.org.uk/about-bsacp/membership/ and complete an online membership application form.
Doctors for Choice UK Event – ‘Our Bodies, Our Doctors’: film and panel discussion, Sunday 25 October 2020, 6.00–7.30pm
7 October 2020
Doctors for Choice UK (DFCUK) are holding a panel discussion on the documentary-film ‘Our Bodies, Our Doctors’ which follows several abortion providers in the US, sharing the story of how they came to provide and giving insight into their day to day work and the adversities they face. This far-reaching and honest film touches on many wider pro-choice issues including education, clinic protests and political threats to abortion access. It explores feminist healthcare models and abortion rights within a wider reproductive justice context.
We think it will lead to a really interesting discussion and have an excellent panel lined up including the film director Jan Haaken, one of the doctors featured in the film Sarah Prager, BPAS Medical Director Patricia Lohr and Co-Convenor of Alliance for Choice Naomi Connor. An event not to be missed!
Details
Sunday 25th October 6.00-7.30pm via Zoom.
A password-protected link to the film will be sent out 2 weeks prior to the event, so you can watch the film in your own time before the discussion. For those registering after 11 October the link will be sent within a few days of registration.
FREE for Doctors for Choice UK members!
£5 non-members/£2.50 students/unwaged.
Click on Eventbrite link here for further information and tickets.
Please help us to promote the event by sharing with your pro-choice communities. Please note we are not sharing beyond pro-choice circles/on social media in order to facilitate a productive discussion. Thank you for your support with this.
Hayley Webb on behalf of the Doctors for Choice UK Committee (www.doctorsforchoiceuk.com
RCOG Webinar on 'Providing Safe Abortion and Post-abortion Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Change, Challenges and Successes', Monday 28 September 2020
24 September 2020
The Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (RCOG) is organising a webinar on ‘Providing Safe Abortion and Post-abortion Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Change, Challenges and Successes’ on Monday 28 September 2020. One of the speakers is Mr Jonathan Lord, BSACP Co-Chair and member of the RCOG Abortion Taskforce.
Further information about this webinar, and a link to the registration form, are provided below.
Providing Safe Abortion and Post-abortion Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Change, Challenges and Successes
Date: Monday 28 September 2020 | 6.00pm–7.15pm (BST)
Speakers:
Ranee Thakar – Senior Vice President RCOG (Chair)
Jonathan Lord – Co-Chair BSACP & RCOG Abortion Taskforce; Medical Director, Marie Stopes UK; Consultant Gynaecologist
Dr Kathryn Church – Marie Stopes International Head of Research
Dr Karthik Srinivasan, Chief Medical Advisor, IPPF UK
Webinar registration link here
Registration Deadline: Monday 28 September, 12.00pm
Background
On 28 September the RCOG will mark International Safe Abortion Day by hosting a webinar entitled ‘Providing Safe Abortion and Post-abortion Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Change, Challenges and Successes’. From 6.00pm BST, the event will highlight the challenges and accomplishments of healthcare professionals, providing access to safe abortion and post-abortion care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In these unprecedented times healthcare systems need to find ways to continue to deliver essential safe abortion services safely, to minimise the risk of COVID-19 infections for both healthcare workers and patients. Failing to do so would risk going backward and losing much of the progress on access to safe abortion care that has been made to date.
Emma Parnham
Programme Support Officer, Centre for Women’s Global Health
E eparnham@rcog.org.uk | T +44 (0) 20 7772 6459 | W rcog.org.uk | S @RCObsGyn
Webinar on ‘Telemedicine, self-managed abortion and access to abortion in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic’ on Tuesday 23 September 2020
22 September 2020
The International Campaign for Women’s Right to Safe Abortion is organising a webinar on the topic of ‘Telemedicine, self-managed abortion and access to abortion in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic’ on Wednesday 23 September, 2.00–3.30pm. The webinar comprises a range of speakers from Kenya, Colombia, Canada, Moldova, India, the Netherlands and the UK.
Webinar registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_UNnVQkFwTp63pXPmK_p5Vw
Fall in UK Abortion Rates Linked to Cash Incentive to GPs
14 September 2020
A recent article in The Guardian reports on a scheme that gave GP surgeries cash incentives to tell women about long-acting reversible methods of contraception (LARCs) that has been linked to a sharp fall in UK abortion rates. The study showed that use of highly effective LARC methods (which include the implant, intrauterine device and contraceptive injection) increased due to the scheme that encouraged GPS to offer targeted contraceptive advice to women.
Joint BSACP/RSM Conference on ‘Excellence in Adversity: Abortion Care in the Coronavirus Pandemic’ on Monday 12 October 2020 – REGISTER NOW!
11 September 2020
BSACP/RSM Online Conference Registration
Registration for this year’s conference jointly organised by the British Society of Abortion Care Providers (BSACP) and the RSM’s Sexuality & Sexual Health Section is now open!
This will be the first national online conference for UK abortion providers, with an emphasis on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on abortion care and service delivery.
The online webinar format will include talks and interactive workshops. There will also be free communications for which submissions are invited. A selection of the best submissions will be presented live during the event by their authors (with opportunities for Q&A). All other good quality submissions will be available for delegates to view online, during and after the event.
The morning and afternoon sessions will comprise talks, workshops and free communications. Delegates will select the workshops they wish to attend and the workshops topics will be repeated in the afternoon. Delegates may choose to attend all day, or a morning or afternoon session.
Topics the conference will cover include:
- The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on abortion care and service delivery
- Current and best practice in abortion care
- New approaches and developments in abortion care and how these impact on care delivery
Conference information and full programme: Excellence in adversity- Abortion care in the coronavirus pandemic flyer
View the programme and register at: http://www.rsm.ac/excellenceinadversity OR https://www.rsm.ac.uk/events/sexuality-and-sexual-health/2020-21/sep50/
***BSACP members are entitled to a discounted registration fee of £20.00 per session (morning or afternoon session) or £30.00 for all day (both sessions).***
To join BSACP, go to https://bsacp.org.uk/about-bsacp/membership/ and complete an online membership application form. BSACP members will be provided with a discount code to use when registering for the conference on the RSM website.
Abstracts Invited for Free Communications Presentations
Abstract submissions are invited, from which a limited number of authors will be chosen to give 10-minute oral presentations at the conference, with a prize awarded for the best presentation in each of the morning and afternoon sessions. See abstract preparation/submission guidelines: BSACP RSM 2020 Conference Abstracts for Free Communications instructions 10092020
Note abstract submission deadline: 11.59pm on Thursday 24 September 2020.
Telemedicine and Self-Managed Abortion
26 August 2020
Marge Berer has authored a discussion paper on ‘Telemedicine and Self-Managed Abortion’, which appears in the Newsletter of the International Campaign for Women’s Right to Safe Abortion.
From from the paper’s Introduction:
“Telemedicine for abortion care is the use of communications technology to arrange an abortion in a clinical setting or self-managed by the woman at home with medical abortion pills and for follow-up after the abortion. For International Safe Abortion Day, 28 September 2020, in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, the International Campaign for Women’s Right to Safe Abortion (ICWRSA) is promoting the use of telemedicine to arrange and follow-up an abortion and to support women’s right to have an abortion at home in the first trimester of pregnancy with medical abortion pills if she so chooses.
This discussion paper provides a history of how the use of telemedicine and self-managed abortion with abortion pills at home have developed. Initially, in Brazil in the 1980s, women shared information about the use of misoprostol informally. Then, feminist-run safe abortion information hotlines were set up, starting in 2005, to provide women with the information they need (and in some cases provide the pills) to have an abortion at home. There are currently one or more such hotlines in at least 26 countries in all world regions. More recently, health professionals began to use what is now called telemedicine (or telehealth) for this same purpose. This paper is about telemedicine and the conditions that make self-managed abortion safe, and gives examples of abortion services that put telemedicine and self-managed abortion together. It also covers the role pharmacies can and are playing in support of these changes.
Telemedicine and self-managed abortion may not be feasible, preferred, appropriate or safe in all instances. They may be restricted by law and regulations, limited communications technology, lack of skills in conducting telemedical consultations, and/or lack of crucial conditions for women to abort at home, such as privacy. For the last almost 40 years, however, medical abortion pills have made it possible for women to take abortion into their own hands, and they are doing so increasingly and in greater and greater numbers, with a little help from their friends, safe abortion information hotlines, and a growing number of health professionals.”
https://www.safeabortionwomensright.org/telemedicine-and-self-managed-abortion-a-discussion-paper/
Note on the Author
Marge Berer has been working in the UK and internationally since 1976 as an advocate for abortion rights and sexual and reproductive health and rights She has been the Coordinator of the International Campaign for Women’s Right to Safe Abortion since mid-2015. She founded and was the editor of the journal Reproductive Health Matters (October 1992–April 2015). She was a co-founder and Steering Committee chair of the International Consortium for Medical Abortion (2002–2011). She is active in Voice for Choice, the UK coalition of pro-choice organisations, and was its chair from 2007 to 2010. She was the first chairwoman of the Gender Advisory Panel, WHO Department of Reproductive Health and Research, from 1996–2001, and a member of the International Women’s Advisory Panel of the International Planned Parenthood Federation from 1993–1998.