INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
SCIENCE
FOR CHOICE
ABORTION IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
SPLIT, CROATIA, 27.9.2025
THE CONFERENCE WILL BE STREAMED AND RECORDED. THE STREAMING LINK WILL BE ADDED SOON.
SCIENCE ON
THE SIDE OF CHOICE
In a time of escalating global attacks on women’s bodily autonomy, Split will host Science for Choice — a one-day international conference bringing together feminists, scientists, healthcare professionals, and reproductive rights activists from around the world.
Together, we will share knowledge, build collective strategies, and strengthen the global movement for safe and legal abortion access.
Key Topics:
Providing care beyond borders: telemedicine, cross-border assistance, and civil disobedience as tools of resistance.
Science vs. propaganda: debunking anti-abortion rhetoric with facts, evidence, and justice.
The real-life impact: how abortion denial harms health, dignity, and the future — and how evidence-based advocacy can change laws and minds.
Solidarity in action: transnational responsibility in defending reproductive freedom.
Science for Choice equips activists, healthcare workers, researchers, policy advocates, and anyone committed to reproductive justice — no compromises, no borders.
The conference is hosted by Croatia’s feminist grassroots network, Brave Sisters (Hrabre sestre) — a volunteer-driven collective of 40 dedicated women offering compassionate, non-judgmental support, accurate medical information, and practical assistance to anyone seeking abortion.
In Croatia, abortion is legal on request up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. Yet access is often obstructed by systemic barriers: widespread use of conscientious objection by medical professionals, lack of available services in many hospitals, and persistent social stigma.
Since 2020, Brave Sisters has supported over 1,300 women — both citizens and migrants — from across Croatia and neighboring countries.
SCIENCE ON
THE SIDE OF CHOICE
In a time of escalating global attacks on women’s bodily autonomy, Split will host Science for Choice — a one-day international conference bringing together feminists, scientists, healthcare professionals, and reproductive rights activists from around the world.
Together, we will share knowledge, build collective strategies, and strengthen the global movement for safe and legal abortion access.
Key Topics:
Providing care beyond borders: telemedicine, cross-border assistance, and civil disobedience as tools of resistance.
Science vs. propaganda: debunking anti-abortion rhetoric with facts, evidence, and justice.
The real-life impact: how abortion denial harms health, dignity, and the future — and how evidence-based advocacy can change laws and minds.
Solidarity in action: transnational responsibility in defending reproductive freedom.
Science for Choice equips activists, healthcare workers, researchers, policy advocates, and anyone committed to reproductive justice — no compromises, no borders.
The conference is hosted by Croatia’s feminist grassroots network, Brave Sisters (Hrabre sestre) — a volunteer-driven collective of 40 dedicated women offering compassionate, non-judgmental support, accurate medical information, and practical assistance to anyone seeking abortion.
In Croatia, abortion is legal on request up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. Yet access is often obstructed by systemic barriers: widespread use of conscientious objection by medical professionals, lack of available services in many hospitals, and persistent social stigma.
Since 2020, Brave Sisters has supported over 1,300 women — both citizens and migrants — from across Croatia and neighboring countries.
SPEAKERS
JASENKA GRUJIĆ
Specialist in gynecology and obstetrics and activist for women's right to abortion, Croatia
REBECCA GOMPERTS
Specialist in gynecology and obstetrics, founder of "Women on Waves" and "Women on Web",
Netherlands
ISABEL STABILE
Specialist in Gynecology and Obstetrics, Co-founder of "Doctors for Choice", Malta
NATALIE PSAILA STABILE
Specialist in Family Medicine and Co-founder of "Doctors for Choice", Malta
ANTONIA BIGGS
PhD, is a Professor and social psychologist at ANSIRH, Oakland, USA
KATIE WOODRUFF
Public Health Social Scientist at ANSIRH, Oakland, USA
MIKA GISSLER
Professor at THL Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (Helsinki, Finland) and visiting researcher at Karolinska Institutet and Region Stockholm (Stockholm, Sweden), FInland
ANA CUESTA
Lawyer and President of the Organisation "Choisir la cause des Femmes", France
MARYAM NAMAZIE
Writer and activist, also Spokesperson for
the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain
MARTA LEMPART
Lawyer and Initiator of the National Women's Strike (Ogólnopolski Strajk Kobiet), Poland
MARA CLARKE
Activist and Co-founder of the Organization "S.A.F.E. Supporting Abortions For Everyone", USA, Europe
NADA TOPIĆ
Lawyer and Founder of the Women's Network "Brave Sisters", Croatia
SCHEDULE
1. RECEPTION
9:00 – 10:00 am
The Conference will take place in Split (Croatia), in Hotel Amphora. The Reception Desk will be open from 9:00 AM. Please show your confirmation email at the Desk and obtain your accreditation badge. You may take a seat in the Conference room.
2. OPENING WORDS
10:00 – 10:30 am
Meet Women’s Abortion Network “Brave Sisters” from Croatia
In a society where reproductive rights are increasingly under threat, the women’s network Hrabre sestre offers a unique support where it’s needed most — to women who choose to terminate a pregnancy. Their dedicated and compassionate work not only empowers women on an individual level but also actively challenges and dismantles the social and institutional barriers that stand in the way of reproductive health rights.
3. PANEL
10:30 – 12:00 pm
Abortion Without Apology: Feminist Resistance Where Abortion Is Criminalized
Panelists:
• Rebecca Gomperts (Netherlands),
• Isabel Stabile & Natalie Psaila Stabile (Malta),
• Marta Lempart (Poland),
• Maryam Namazie (UK)
This panel brings together bold voices from Malta, Poland, and islamic states — places where abortion is banned, restricted, or under constant attack. Joining them is Rebecca Gomperts from the Netherlands, a pioneering figure in cross-border abortion activism. Together, they will share how they resist, organize, and provide care in the face of legal threats and state repression. Their approaches — creative, courageous, and at times criminalized — reveal what it truly takes to defend bodily autonomy when the law denies it.
4. BREAK
12:00 – 2:00 pm
You can find nice restaurants near the Venue
Restaurant Forketta
in Hotel Fanat Adresse: Šetalište Pape Ivana Pavla II 36, Split
Bistro Merlin
Put Žnjana 24A, 21000, Split, Kroatien
Tavern Dalmatino
Ul. Ispod Svetog Lovre 2b, 21000, Split, Kroatien
5. EDUCATIONAL PANELS
2:00 – 3:00 pm
GYNECOLOGY
Lecturer: Jasenka Grujić (Croatia)
Dr. Jasenka Grujić will speak about the challenges and experiences in providing gynecological care in Croatia, with a particular focus on the importance of protecting women’s rights to access safe and legal abortion.
3:00 – 4:00 pm
STATISTICS
Lecturer: Mika Gissler (Finland)
Epidemiologist Dr. Mika Gissler explores the complex relationship between abortion, maternal health, and mortality, drawing on decades of research using Nordic registry data. His groundbreaking studies have shaped our understanding of pregnancy-related deaths, but have also been misrepresented by anti-abortion activists to promote false narratives about abortion causing mental health decline or increased mortality..
4:00 – 4:30 pm – COFFEE BREAK
4:30 – 6:00 pm
PSYCHOLOGY
Lecturers: Katie Woodruff and Antonia Biggs (USA)
In this lecture, researchers Dr. Antonia Biggs and Dr. Katie Woodruff present powerful evidence on the long-term consequences of being denied an abortion, based on findings from the landmark Turnaway Study and related reproductive health research. They explore how forced pregnancy affects health, economics, mental well-being, and family life.
6. CLOSING PANEL
6:30 – 8:00 pm
The Future of Abortion: Strategies, Conflicts, and Coalitions
Panelists:
• Ana Cuesta (France),
• Mara Clarke (USA, UK)
• and others
Amidst a global backlash against abortion rights and a flood of misinformation, the fight for access to abortion demands not only courage, but also a well-crafted strategy and strong alliances. This panel explores what the future of abortion access might look like — across borders, political divides, and legal barriers. From grassroots organizing to cross-border funding and legal resistance, the panelists will share how they build power, navigate conflict, and forge feminist coalitions for a struggle that is far from over.
REGISTER
To register for the conference, please send us an e-mail with your full name, occupation and country where you live, to this address: sisters4her@gmail.com.
Once your registration is successful, a confirmation email will be sent to the address you provided. This email will include your registration confirmation and event details. Please present the confirmation email along with a valid photo ID at the conference Reception desk to receive your accreditation badge.
If you are a citizen of Croatia or a neighbouring country, please use this registration form.