Geoffrey Davis (doctor)

Geoffrey Davis (died 3 October 2008) was an Australian doctor and director of the International Abortion Research and Training Centre.[1] In the early 1960s Davis had two clinics in the Potts Point and Arncliffe suburbs of Sydney where he carried out discreet terminations up until 1971, when abortion was legalised in New South Wales. Though Davis was originally an anaesthetist, he is known for his work with late term abortions. Davis had worked with Population Services International, the International Fertility Research Program, and International Planned Parenthood Federation in the 1960s.[2][3] Davis also did research on prior induced abortion.[4]

Davis is best known for his work in performing late-term abortions following the mass rapes during the Bangladesh Liberation War. Davis worked in a victim relief programme in Bangladesh in the year following the liberation war at the request of the World Health Organization and International Planned Parenthood Federation.[5] In conjunction with Leonard Laufe, Davis set up in Dhaka "industrial scale procedures" of abortion in the year following the war. Between them they carried out 95 percent of terminations which had resulted from the mass rapes.[6] Davis also travelled for months in remote areas to carry out terminations.[7] Davis has estimated that up to 400,000 women and children had been raped by the Pakistani armed forces and their collaborators, the Al-Badr ("the moon") the Al-Shams ("the sun") and the Razakars.[3][8] In addition to carrying out terminations Davis also worked with international adoption agencies in trying to find families for the children who were unwanted due to cultural beliefs.[9] Davis died on 3 October 2008 in Australia.[10]

References
  1. Age, The (16 June 1975). "Women only at abortion meeting". The Age.
  2. Museum, Powerhouse. "Abortion kit, comprising a set of gynaecological surgical instruments (20), metal, various makers, c. 1960, used Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1960s". About New South Wales. Archived from the original on 21 March 2011.
  3. D'Costa, Bina (15 December 2010). "1971: Rape and its consequences". BD News24.
  4. Davis, Geoffrey; Antonia Church (1979). "Prior induced abortion experience among clinic patients in Australia". Journal of Biosocial Science. 11 (1). doi:10.1017/S0021932000012062.
  5. Brownmiller, Susan (2007). William F. Schulz (ed.). The Phenomenon of Torture: Readings and Commentary (Annotated ed.). University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 92. ISBN 978-0812219821.
  6. Mookherjee, Nayanika (2007). "Available Motherhood: Legal technologies, `state of exception' and the dekinning of 'war-babies' in Bangladesh". Childhood (14): 339–355. doi:10.1177/0907568207079213.
  7. Brownmiller, Susan (2007). William F. Schulz (ed.). The Phenomenon of Torture: Readings and Commentary. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 92. ISBN 978-0812219821.
  8. Mookherjee, Nayanika (2012). Raphaelle Branche, Fabrice Virgili (ed.). Rape in Wartime. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 77. ISBN 978-0230363991.
  9. Hossain, Anushay (21 May 2012). "1971 Rapes: Bangladesh Cannot Hide History". Forbes.
  10. Khan, Kamrul Ahsan (10 October 2008). "Friend of Bangladesh Dr Geoffrey Davis passes away". Priyo Australia. Archived from the original on 20 August 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
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