International Women’s Day 2017: ‘Abortion Care: Our Responsibility’

Joint RCOG/FSRH Event on Friday 3 March 2017, 9.00am–3.30pm at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Regent’s Park, London, UK

24 January 2017

Each year in England and Wales around 200,000 women have an abortion, making this the most common medical or surgical procedure performed in this country. Around one-third of British women will have had an abortion by the time they reach the age of 45 years.

Fifty years after the Abortion Act 1967, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has identified as a key priority the need to ensure today’s abortion services are sustainable into the future. Changes to the way abortion care is commissioned and delivered are having an impact on doctors’ access to training and women’s access to services, while the low prestige and stigma that can be associated with abortion care are affecting morale.

You are invited to join the RCOG and the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH) to celebrate International Women’s Day 2017, where the aim is to ensure abortion is seen as a core part of women’s health services, not ‘somebody else’s business’. All healthcare professionals who provide abortion care are invited to attend this free event.

Expert speakers and advocates for abortion care will provide insights into the challenges experienced in providing training in this area, what it’s like to work in abortion care, and the wider environment in which abortion services are delivered. The programme includes presentations on:

  • The moral case for abortion
  • Training and working in abortion care – stigma, conscientious objection, and the view from clinicians
  • The effect of unintended pregnancy and abortion on mental health and wellbeing
  • Recent technical advances in abortion care
  • Commissioning abortion services in the UK
  • The RCOG Abortion Task Force

Attendees will also have the chance to take part in a panel discussion looking at current clinical controversies in abortion care, as well as an interactive workshop exploring attitudes to abortion.

Programme: https://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/courses-exams-and-events/postgraduate-and-scientific-events/international-womens-day-2017.pdf

Further information/register at: https://www.rcog.org.uk/en/departmental-catalog/Departments/postgraduate-and-scientific-meetings/1772—7ch—international-womens-day/