2.01: (Mary Crawford) - 'Mummy said here’s a letter for you'

05/30/23 • 68 min

The opening episode of series two contains an in-depth interview with Mary Crawford. Mary was the CEO of the Brook Advisory Clinic in Northern Ireland for 25 years, and oversaw the organisations transition to Common Youth before retiring in 2018. She is a veteran pro-choice campaigner, and a Trustee of Informing Choices NI.
Mary reflects on the sex education she received growing up; being involved in abortion rights campaigns as a student in the 1970s; running personal development courses at Youth Action; the opening of the Brook Advisory Clinic in Belfast in 1992; the impact of protests and being targeted within her local area; meeting with former Northern Ireland Secretary of State Mo Mowlam MP; delivering relationships and sexuality education (RSE) programmes in community settings; providing sexual health services to young men; the decline in teenage pregnancy rates; and what constitutes good RSE.
If you would like support around a sexual health issue you can call the Sexual Health Helpline on 028 9031 6100.
Useful links
https://informingchoicesni.org/
https://commonyouth.com/Resources
An Early Day Motion from 1991 regarding the proposed establishment of a Brook Advisory Centre in BelfastNews articles
A BBC News article regarding the firebombing of the Ulster Pregnancy Advisory Association which references the letters sent to Mary Crawford's neighbours
A Belfast Telegraph article regarding the provision of young men's sexual health clinics by Brook NI
A Guardian article regarding relationships and sexuality education in Northern Ireland
A platform piece by Mary Crawford in the agendaNi publication regarding sexual health in the 21st century

Previous Episode

1.06: (Dr Laura McLaughlin) - Providing safe and compassionate abortion care

The final episode of the first series contains an in-depth interview with Dr Laura McLaughlin. Dr McLaughlin is co-chair of Doctors for Choice NI, and a member of the Northern Ireland Abortion and Contraception Taskgroup. Following the decriminalisation of abortion Dr McLaughlin worked alongside healthcare professionals and Informing Choices to establish local early medical abortion services, and currently provides abortion care in Northern Ireland.

Dr McLaughlin reflects on her experiences of working in the health service in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Canada; how the previous abortion law in Northern Ireland impacted upon medical professionals and the care provided to women; the formation of Doctors for Choice NI; the impact of Covid-19 and the establishment of early medical abortion services in Northern Ireland; conversations with medical colleagues around the provision of abortion; how abortion is viewed by women and society in Northern Ireland; and her aspirations for sexual and reproductive health going forward.
If you would like support around a sexual health issue you can call the Sexual Health Helpline on 028 9031 6100.
Useful links
https://informingchoicesni.org/pregnancy-choices-counselling
https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/abortion-services
Resources
Report from the Northern Ireland Abortion and Contraception Taskgroup published in March 2021 on Sexual and Reproductive Health in Northern Ireland
Report published by Informing Choices NI in June 2021 entitled Beyond Decriminalisation: pregnancy choices and abortion care in Northern Ireland
News articles
An Irish News article from April 2020 on the launch of the central access point into early medical abortion care
An article from June 2020 on abortion provision in Northern Ireland written by Dr Laura McLaughlin
An Irish Times article from October 2022 on the uncertainty of abortion provision in Northern Ireland featuring Dr Laura McLaughlin
A Belfast Telegraph article from December 2022 on the commissioning of abortion services in Northern Ireland featuring Dr Laura McLaughlinVideo
A video created by Doctors for Choice UK called 'Kind to women: how the 1967 Abortion Act changed our lives'

Next Episode

2.02: (Professor Dirk Schubotz) - Conducting sexual health research with young people

This episode contains an in-depth interview with Professor Dirk Schubotz. Dirk is a professor in the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work at Queen’s University Belfast and has conducted vast amounts of research in the areas of sexuality, sexual health, and gender. He is a member of ARK, Northern Ireland's Social Policy Hub, and has directed the annual Young Life and Times survey of 16-year-olds since 2003. He is also a Trustee of Common Youth.
Dirk reflects on growing up in East Berlin before the fall of the Berlin Wall; his background in youth work; attending the first Pride parade to take place in Belfast; producing the first large scale study into the sexual attitudes and experiences of young people in Northern Ireland; interacting with schools on conducting a survey regarding young people's views on homosexuality and abortion; young people's experiences of relationships and sexuality education (RSE); findings from the Young Life and Times Survey; working with the Belfast Youth Forum to produce their 'Any Use?' report on RSE; and his aspirations around sexual health in Northern Ireland going forward.
If you would like support around a sexual health issue you can call the Sexual Health Helpline on 028 9031 6100.
Useful links
https://informingchoicesni.org/
https://www.ark.ac.uk/ARK/yltResources
Any Use? report: Young people’s opinions on Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) in Belfast
Sticks and Stones? Violence experiences of 16-year olds in Northern Ireland
Sexual risks and capacities: Developing a peer-led educational resource to address sexual risks among young people
Relationships and Sexuality Education and Homophobic and Transphobic Name Calling