Dr Rebecca Steinfeld
public health expert, writer and campaigner

Dr Rebecca Steinfeld is a public health expert, writer, campaigner and mum of three. Following her PhD in Politics from the University of Oxford, she has campaigned for better policies in women’s and child health – calling for contraceptive innovation, decriminalising abortion, and consistent approaches to female and male genital cutting. To date, she has channelled her drive for change through working for key reproductive rights and public health organisations – including the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), Maternity Action and National Voices. She achieved groundbreaking family law reform in the UK through the Campaign for Equal Civil Partnerships, which she co-founded and co-led.

Now, Rebecca is focusing on challenging the cultural forces and social scripts that are influencing public policies affecting parents – arguably impacting mums especially. From what parents are told they should feed their babies to how much screen time they ought to allow their children, she sees a golden thread: Public health policies grounded in moral panics, not high-quality scientific evidence. Policies that can cause numerous and serious harms to parents and children, restricting their freedoms and shaming them for their choices, while also eroding trust in public health bodies. Rebecca is calling for policies that are rooted in robust evidence, take a long-term and multi-faceted view, and put parental choice, compassion and modern-day realities at their heart.

Follow Rebecca on LinkedIn: Rebecca Steinfeld | LinkedIn

RELATED SESSIONS

Sunday 18 October, 10:00 Hospitality Suite, Church House
Who would be a mum today?