Conservative Backlash in Europe: the networks behind

In recent years, Europe has seen strong conservative mobilization against abortion, LGBT-rights and child protection services. Through the Internet, intensive lobbying and funding from abroad, these movements are gaining new ground – is the seemingly well-established right of abortion under threat in Europe? What are the driving forces behind this mobilization and is there a conservative network driving the movements?

In this seminar hosted by LawTransform we will screen the documentary “Abortion: Backlash in Europe” which focuses on the European pro-life movements and the methods and arguments that these groups use. The screening will be followed by a conversation between Neil Datta, Marit Skivenes and Siri Gloppen, in which they explore the links between the networks driving anti-abortion, anti-LGBT and anti-child protection service mobilization.

Neil Datta is the Secretary of the European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development, a network of parliamentarians from across Europe who are committed to protecting sexual and reproductive health and rights. He has nearly twenty years’ experience in the field of political involvement in population and development, and has conducted in-depth research on anti-choice activity in Europe. He is part of the LawTransform based research project on Sexual and Reproductive Rights Lawfare: Global Battles.

Marit Skivenes is a professor at the Department of Administration and Organization Theory (UiB) and professor II at the Dept. of Social Education (HVL). She is also the research director and principal investigator at Centre for Research on Discretion and Paternalism, and the research leader for the Child Rights Unit of LawTransform. Skivenes is a leading expert in the field of child protection systems.

Siri Gloppen is the Director of LawTransform and professor of Comparative Politics (UiB). She heads the research projects (supported by the Norwegian Research Council) on Sexual and Reproductive Rights Lawfare: Global Battles; and Political Determinants of Sexual and Reproductive Health, where the conservative networks and their influence in different parts of the world is part of the dynamics under study.

The event is free and open to all! Coffee and snacks will be served.

To read more about the documentary, visit:
http://www.newendistribution.com/en/program/abortion-backlash-in-europe/Link to event on LawTransform website:
https://www.lawtransform.no/event/conservative-backlash-in-europe-the-networks-behind/ Photo credit: Nathan Larkin, Flickr