Marge Berer

Reproductive Health Matters

Marge Berer is the founding editor of Reproductive Health Matters, now starting its 19th year, and has chaired the Steering Committee of the International Consortium for Medical Abortion since 2002. She was chair of Voice for Choice, a coalition of pro-choice organisations in the UK from 2007 to January 2010. She received the Olivia Schieffelin Nordberg Award for Excellence in Writing and Editing in the Population Sciences in May 2007. She was the first chairwoman of the Gender Advisory Panel, WHO Department of Reproductive Health and Research, from 1996 to 2001, and a member of the International Women’s Advisory Panel of the IPPF from 1993-98. She has been working in the UK and internationally since 1976 as an advocate for abortion rights and sexual and reproductive health and rights. She was actively involved in and worked for in the Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights and its precursors from 1978-1990. She edited and authored a book in 1991-1993 on women and HIV, sexual and reproductive health, which helped to place these issues on the global agenda. In younger days she taught English as a foreign language and co-authored two textbooks. She has authored numerous papers, organised conferences and workshops, given presentations in conferences and guest lectured for post-graduate students on the issues and on writing for publication. Over the past 30 years, she has focused on the intersection of HIV and sexual and reproductive health, the promotion of condoms, women’s reproductive rights, and maternal mortality, but above all, women’s right to safe, legal abortion internationally.