“Marie Stopes deserves to be included in the Women of Distinction series of stamps by the Royal Mail” claims the charity that bears her name

London: The global sexual and reproductive agency which bears the name of family planning pioneer Dr Marie Stopes, today applauded her selection by the Royal Mail for its Women of Distinction series of stamps, to be launched on 14 October.

Marie Stopes International released the following statement:

“Marie Stopes wholeheartedly deserves the accolade being paid to her by the Royal Mail. Through her championing of family planning at a time when the practice of contraception was frowned upon by society, Marie Stopes did more to emancipate working class women in 1920s’ Britain than any of her contemporaries.

“Her efforts helped to free women from the yoke of debilitating multiple pregnancies and reduce the soaring rates of maternal mortality and morbidity. She laid the groundwork for a social revolution which eventually gave women the freedom to choose the size, spacing and timing of their pregnancies, and to enjoy their family, personal and professional lives in equal measure. She was also the first to advocate that women be allowed to be equal partners in, and take full enjoyment from, the sexual act.

“Marie Stopes International - the modern organisation that bears her name - was established in the 1970s, some 20 years after her death, and takes its inspiration from what Marie Stopes achieved, not what she believed.

“Our work in 40 countries across the world, serving over five million people every year, is powered by the essence of what Marie Stopes achieved in her lifetime: providing women and men with the right to control their fertility. Wherever we work in the world, we provide services to individuals irrespective of their race, creed, economic status, sexuality or colour.

“Given her personal lifetime achievements and the global legacy which lives on in the work of the agency that bears her name, Marie Stopes’s selection as a Woman of Distinction is entirely justified.”

For further information:
Tony Kerridge: tony.kerridge@mariestopes.org.uk
tel: 020 7034 2365 / 07748948037

Categories: United Kingdom; Europe; Advocacy & campaigning

18/09/2008

“Marie Stopes deserves to be included in the Women of Distinction series of stamps by the Royal Mail” claims the charity that bears her name

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