Ms. Gurmai outlined how women and women’s rights movement were facing a stark choice: let the past come back or rather choose progress and equal rights instead. ‘In the 21st century science and technology develops at a rapid pace. Therefore it is unacceptable that women have to face serious health, financial or legal risks, if they want to decide on their own future,’ stressed Mrs Gurmai. She also reminded the council that several countries had adopted restrictions on abortion recently, despite the fact that in certain European countries, illegal abortions are responsible for 25% of maternal deaths.
‘In order to ensure the same rights for all women in the 21st century, we need to mobilise and inform them and to raise their awareness. Improving medical assistance and infrastructure is also essential in order to guarantee that each woman has a free choice, a well-informed choice and a choice that does not depend on her social or geographical status. We need to stay vigilant, we need to share best practices and we need to put our governments under pressure to guarantee sufficient funding and programmes to achieve these goals,’ concluded Mrs Gurmai.
On Monday the meeting of the left-wing politicians continues with the two-day council meeting of the Socialist International, where discussions will focus on the economic crisis and climate change, two of the most serious questions the international community has to face today.
For further information please contact Brian Synnott on +32 474 98 96 75 (brian.synnott@pes.org)
