This year, for the second year in a row, feminist and human rights organisations in the UK have organised the Festival of Choice in London from 22 to 28 September. The Festival of Choice aims to raise awareness of threats to reproductive rights and the plight of women and girls who do not have access to safe and legal abortion in countries around the world. The Festival of Choice also wishes to celebrate solidarity and activism and to strengthen and support the pro-choice message, locally and globally.
Organisers included: Central America Women’s Network, 15M Women’s Assembly, Amnesty International, Voice for Choice, Hysteria, Young Feminist London, Feminist Fightback, Speaking of I.M.E.L.D.A and more. While each organiser represents its own mission and values, all participating organisations fully support the right to decide over one’s own body and hope to encourage others to raise their voice to protect the right to decide in countries where abortion is legal, and to fight for it in countries where it is illegal or inaccessible.
The programme included: an opening on the 22nd with a music trivia quiz; a discussion and film on tactics to counter anti-choice on the 23rd; a panel discussion on “Not a criminal: reproductive rights are human rights” on the 24th; a fundraiser for choice with music and arts on the 25th; solidarity with the March for Choice in Ireland on the 26th; an evening showing of the films “A Quiet Inquisition” and “The Freedom Train” and a discussion on the theme of “Their laws, our lives”, also on the 26th; a day of workshops on campaigning against oppression on the 27th; and on the 28th, a street action for the decriminalisation of abortion.
https://festivalofchoice.wordpress.com/ and see also https://www.facebook.com/festivalofchoice/ for posts and visuals from all the events.