EARLY BIRD REGISTRATIONS AND CALL FOR ABSTRACTS NOW OPEN

We are pleased to announce that registrations are now open for our third Unplanned Pregnancy and Abortion Conference being held in Brisbane on 1 and 2 August 2019. This conference is being supported by our principal sponsor, Marie Stopes Australia.

Our conference is an opportunity for health and community professionals working in and those interested in the fields of unplanned pregnancy, reproductive health and abortion provision to advance their skills and expertise.  The conference will comprise of plenary sessions with experts and concurrent sessions, including a clinical stream for health practitioners providing or assisting in abortion care. The conference is also a unique opportunity for the sector to come together and share experiences and discuss national and local responses.

We’re excited to announce that the program will include a keynote address (via video conference) by the inspirational Dr. Willie Parker.

Willie J. Parker, MD, MPH, MSc, is a US reproductive justice advocate who travels as an abortion provider in Alabama and Georgia. His most recent work has focused on violence against women, sexual assault, and reproductive rights and justice through advocacy and provision of contraceptive and abortion services. Most notably Dr. Parker is a recipient of the 2013 Physicians for Reproductive Health Dr. George Tiller Provider Award, the 2015 Helen Rodriguez-Trias Social Justice Award and the 2016 Dr. Felicia Stewart Advocacy Award from the American Public Health Association, and the 2016 Dr. David Gunn Lifetime Achievement Award from the Abortion Care Network.

Dr. Parker was also recently honored by the United Nations Office of Human Rights as one of 12 Women’s Human Rights Defenders on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the United Nations’ Fourth World Conference on Women. He is also a recipient of Planned Parenthood’s 2015 Margaret Sanger Award. Dr. Parker is a 2007-2008 Leadership Training Initiative Fellow. He joined the Physicians for Reproductive Health board in November 2007 and is the current Chair. Dr. Parker is the author of newly released book, “Life’s Work: A Morale Argument for Choice”. More information about Dr. Parker can be found here.

Further program details will be announced in early 2019.

Venue

To be confirmed

Who should attend

GPs and health practitioners, allied health and education professionals; social workers, academics, youth and community workers; policy makers; students; supporters of choice.

Registration

Early bird registrations are now open, to register please click here. If you need inspiration to register check out the comments below from attendees at our 2017 conference; 

• The breadth of topics and the knowledge and passion of speakers and attendees was really impressive and the vibe was very special. I feel very inspired by it! Thank you :)
• Didn't expect to laugh so much!! Fantastic conference, very well organised and very enjoyable and informative
• A huge thank you for coordinating such an amazing and intelligent group of people to share knowledge and learn from each other. Thank you!
• The highlight for me was seeing the amazing advocacy work that has taken place in this space all around the country for a long time. The conference really reinforced that we've come a long way, but have a long way to go. I really enjoyed how 'bold' people were - we didn't just scratch the surface, we dove right in
• It was reinvigorating as have been in the field for over 10 years and great to be more aware of work being done interstate and internationally.
• The conference was excellent, thoroughly educational, inspiring, humbling and motivating.
• I really enjoyed the enthusiasm, collaborative style and the expertise offered. Everyone was extremely welcoming and friendly and for someone new to this field it was greatly appreciated.
• The most valuable thing for me was the opportunity to meet a lot of inspiring people working in the area of abortion, and to feel more connected with others, rather than working in isolation in my practice
• The opportunity to get together in the one place with so many pro-choice people is rare and extremely valuable

Sponsorship opportunities

A variety of sponsorship packages have been designed to suit all objectives and budgets. If you are interested in sponsoring this event please contact our Education and Training Coordinator Pamela Doherty:  07 3357 9933 (ext 3) or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS 

We invite abstracts from researchers, academics, health practitioners, professionals and activists interested in presenting at the conference. In order for abstracts to be considered, the abstract guidelines must be followed.

Abstract guidelines

Abstracts must be submitted by 5pm on 24 February 2019 and successful abstract presenters will receive an offer to present by 21 March 2019. Abstracts should provide new evidence or extend existing knowledge and skills for conference attendees and address at least one of the conference streams listed below. There is no limit on the number of abstracts that can be submitted but each abstract must be submitted separately.  The following presentation formats are available:

• · Plenary guest speaker presentation (30 min max)
• · Rapid fire presentations (15 min max)
• · Focus topic workshops (60 min max)

All abstracts will be assessed by a committee and in balancing the program the committee may require authors to present their work in an alternate format to their preferred preference. Indigenous submissions are encouraged across all streams.

All abstracts must:

• · Address at least one of the conference streams;
• · Be submitted by 5pm on Sunday 24 February 2019;
• · State presentation preference;
• · Include a disclosure of conflict of interest if applicable; *
• · Specify all abbreviations in full at the first mention, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses, thereafter abbreviation only should be used;
• · Be thoroughly checked for spelling and grammar;
• · Be written in English;
• · Not include references; and
• · The body of the abstract must not exceed 350 words.

* If accepted, presenters will be requested to disclosure any conflict of interest in their presentation.

By submitting an abstract all authors agree to release the license to the Conference organisers and give permission to publish the abstract in the conference handbook, website, etc. and in so doing certify that the abstract is original work. The organisers reserve the right to remove a presentation from the program.

Abstract presenters will be required to register for the conference but will be eligible for the early bird registration price.  Sponsored registrations may be available upon request and preference will be given to those who do submit abstracts, however authors should ensure they are able to fund their own travel. To request a sponsored place please email Pamela at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract Submission 

Abstracts must be submitted electronically through the online My Booking Manager system. To submit your abstracts click here.

Please contact us if you are unable to lodge your abstract via the website or if you have any queries. We recommend using Firefox, Google Chrome or Safari as your browser. You will be required to enter:

• · Preferred conference stream;
• · Preferred presentation type;
• · Abstract title;
• · Body of abstract;
• · Short biography of presenter (maximum 50 words); and
• · Any applicable conflict of interest.

Suggested body of abstract (maximum 350 words):

• · Background: study objectives, hypothesis tested, or description of problem;
• · Methods: method used or approach taken;
• · Results: in summarized form, must include data but do not include tables, graphs or pictures;
• · Conclusion: description of main outcomes of the study. Include knowledge or insight that conference attendees will gain from the presentation, explanation of how conference attendees can apply the skills and/or knowledge within their communities and how the study contributes to evidence-based knowledge.

More information

If you have any queries about our conference please contact our Education and Training Coordinator at tel: 07 3357 9933 (ext 3) or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

To keep up to date on the conference and all things Children by Choice please join our e-bulletin mailing list here.

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