Turkey - Protests continue against proposed restrictions to right to abortion
[Brussels, 18 June 2012] Protests continue in Turkey against the ruling party’s plans to restrict access to abortion, legalised in Turkey in 1983.
Last month Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan attacked women’s basic rights to control over their bodies by calling abortion ‘murder’.
The protesters who convened on Sunday 17 June in Istanbul’s carried signs that read ‘AKP: Get your hands off my body’ and ‘Murder is outlawing abortion’.
A recent poll commissioned by Turkish newspaper Haberturk indicated that 55.5% of Turks do not support a ban on abortion.
Women’s organisations in Turkey, including the EWL Coordination in Turkey, are running a big campaign nationally and internationally to combat any restriction of women’s rights. Please visit their campaign webpage ’Say No to Abortion Ban’, and sign up to their protest letter.
As pressure on women’s rights mounts across Europe, solidarity is crucial. Please support women in Turkey and protect the fundamental right to abortion!
