Feminist Solidarity Defends Reproductive Rights: ASTRA Network Confronts SRHR Backlash in Central and Eastern Europe
ASTRA Network, a regional alliance advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) across Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, will spotlight feminist resistance to oppression and anti-gender movements during its session at the 2025 International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) in Bogotá. Titled “SRHR Under Siege in Central & Eastern Europe: ASTRA Network Members Resisting Oppression and Anti-Gender Agendas,” the panel brings together feminist leaders and organizations from Poland, Moldova, North Macedonia, and Hungary who are on the frontlines of defending SRHR under increasingly authoritarian regimes.
Across the region, anti-gender rhetoric, democratic backsliding, and regressive policies have eroded access to contraception, safe abortion, and comprehensive sexuality education. Yet, feminist activists are responding with courage and innovation—building infrastructures of care, solidarity, and accountability that protect communities when state systems fail.
- In Poland, the Foundation for Women and Family Planning (FEDERA) continues to provide legal and medical support in the wake of a near-total abortion ban, while leading strategic litigation and international advocacy.
- In Moldova, the Reproductive Health Training Centre (RHTC) is mobilizing a feminist response to the 2025 ban on telemedicine medical abortion, safeguarding access to self-managed care and documenting the impact of restrictive laws. Warsaw, 28.10.2025
- In North Macedonia, the Association for Emancipation, Solidarity and Equality of Women (ESE) is combating systemic inequities by empowering Roma and rural women to monitor health services and demand accountability.
- In Hungary, the EMMA Association’s Roma Community Doula Program centers trust and community-based support, creating access and dignity for marginalized Roma women despite an increasingly hostile civic environment.
Together, these initiatives exemplify ASTRA Network’s mission to strengthen feminist collaboration and regional solidarity, ensuring that every person can make informed, autonomous decisions about their body and life. “Even when laws fail, feminist networks across our region are holding the line,” said Ewa Szymera, ASTRA Network Coordinator and panel moderator. “Solidarity— never silence—is the most powerful tool we have to protect reproductive freedom and justice.” The ASTRA session took place on Tuesday, 4 November 2025, from 4:20 to 5:40 PM (local time) at the Ágora Bogotá Convention Center – Room K, with livestream access for virtual participants.