As of today, we will change our name from Marie Stopes International Australia to MSI Asia Pacific.
Why are we changing?
Marie Stopes was not the founder of our global partnership of sexual and reproductive health providers. Our organisation was started in 1976 by Dr Tim Black, Jean Black and Phil Harvey, who opened their first clinic on the site of the original Marie Stopes’ Mothers Clinic in central London.
They named the organisation in recognition of the origins of that historic building and Marie Stopes’ legacy as a pioneer of family planning. However, though not well known at the time of our founding, Marie Stopes herself was also an advocate of eugenics and expressed opinions which are in stark contrast to MSI’s values and principles today.
The events of the past few years and the critical global conversations about race and diversity have reinforced to us that changing our name is the right decision. Our global organisation changed their name in November 2020 from Marie Stopes International to MSI Reproductive Choices, and now it’s time for us to make the change too.
As the support office for MSI in the Asia Pacific region, our new name aligns with the MSI Reproductive Choices global partnership and reaffirms our commitment to providing safe, quality sexual and reproductive healthcare in the Asia Pacific region.
What will change?
From November 17, our regional support office, based in Australia and responsible for sexual and reproductive healthcare programs across Asia Pacific, will be called MSI Asia Pacific.
By retaining the acronym MSI, an established, trusted name in reproductive healthcare, we can protect access for women and girls who see our brand and blue door as an emblem of where they can seek a safe service. It also allows us to maintain a connection to our past, to our work over the past 44 years and to our founders.
Our 2030 commitment
Our global strategy sets out our ambition that by 2030, no abortion will be unsafe and everyone who wants contraception will be able to access it.
Today, our global network has over 9,000 team members working in 37 countries across the world, and our teams are deeply connected with the communities they serve – from major cities to rural, hard-to-reach villages. By taking services into areas others cannot – or will not – go, we enable more people to make choices that were previously unavailable to them, and in turn, improve the lives of individuals, families and communities.
From remote communities in the mountains of Papua New Guinea, fishing villages on Timorese islands and the bustling alleys of Phnom Penh, we are challenging stigma and taboos to provide sexual and reproductive healthcare to women, girls and families. In many areas, we are the only family planning provider. In 2020, over 250,000 people in the Asia Pacific countries we serve were using a family planning method provided by MSI.
From myself and the team at MSI Asia Pacific, we want to thank our supporters, donors and partners for your unwavering support of our work providing life-changing comprehensive family planning to women and girls.
Chris Turner
Asia Pacific Regional Director and Executive Officer
MSI Asia Pacific