Short manifesto title (English)Women’s Bodies, Peoples’ Genes: Do Not Touch Our Bodies, Our Blood, or Our EggsFull statement in EnglishOpen Letter to the Women of the World and to the Royal Family of the United KingdomYour Majesty,Honourable Members of the Royal Family of the United Kingdom,Dear Women of the World,I write these lines to draw attention not only to the bodies and dignity of women in a single country, but to the silent and invisible pressure imposed on the bodies and genetic future of women across the entire world. ��In the 1990s, in Istanbul, especially on municipal buses, numerous accounts and allegations of “needle attacks” against women became part of our collective memory. Many of these attacks were never properly recorded in official files, their perpetrators were not identified, and the victims were left trapped between fear and shame. Yet even today, many women who experienced or witnessed such incidents continue to tell each other the same stories in hushed voices. ��I believe that these attacks carried not only a physical dimension but also a serious risk of biological intervention. Unauthorised needle contact with the body should not be seen merely as a form of harassment; it must also be understood as a threat to a person’s blood, tissues, and even to the genetic integrity that will be passed on to future generations. Looking back from today, the fact that many of the women attacked during that period were later directed towards gynaecological examinations and various so‑called “treatments” strengthens the suspicion of non‑consensual biological intervention and of unlawful control over their genetic material. ��In 1999, in Turkey, the Oktar Babuna case came to public attention: blood and bone marrow samples were collected from around 120,000 people, and a significant part of these samples was sent to laboratories abroad. At the time, politicians and experts openly warned of the risk of “mapping the genetic code of a nation”, and the question of for what purposes, by whom, and in what ways this biological material, taken from the Turkish people, was used has never been answered in a truly satisfactory manner. ��Today, in vitro fertilisation (IVF), egg freezing, genetic screening tests and biotechnological research together form a vast market and field of power built on women’s bodies and on female oocytes (egg cells). Oocytes do not only represent a woman’s potential future fertility; they also carry her entire genetic code and the characteristics that may be transmitted across generations. Even in Europe, there are serious ethical and legal debates about unused or abandoned embryos and frozen eggs, and about the uncertainty surrounding their fate. The possibility that such material may be used without consent, traded, or turned into vast genetic databases creates a dark horizon for all humankind. ��My claim is this: since the 1990s, under the guise of health care, through methods that sometimes appear as “blood donation campaigns”, sometimes as “IVF treatment”, and sometimes as non‑consensual needle attacks in public spaces, there is a potential for organised and unregulated control over women’s and societies’ genetic material. Proving every aspect of this claim is, of course, the duty of judicial authorities and scientists. But our duty, as women, is to raise our voices against every shadow and every suspicion cast over our bodies and our genetic future. ���For this reason:I call upon the Royal Family of the United Kingdom, and upon the institutions of all democratic countries, to show moral and political leadership in strengthening international regulations that protect women’s biological and genetic integrity. ��I demand that blood, marrow, oocytes, embryos and similar biological samples collected from vulnerable groups worldwide be subjected to transparent and strict international oversight mechanisms. ���I call for every form of needle attack, non‑consensual injection and covert biological intervention against women, whether on public transport, in hospitals or in clinics, to be regarded not only as an “ordinary criminal case” but as an act with the potential to constitute a crime against humanity. ��This letter is not merely the internal affair of one country, nor is it only about a single court case. It is a call to reclaim our bodies, our blood, our eggs and our genetic memory. It is a warning about the shared future of all women: princesses, queens, workers, migrants and refugees alike.I wish to carry my voice from the girls who once travelled in fear of needles on Istanbul’s municipal buses, to all the women who today must navigate their daily lives with the constant concern of harassment and assault in London, New York, Lagos, Delhi and beyond. �� We demand that our bodies be not only “treated” but also protected and respected.Please accept this declaration as a note for the historical record, a warning to the future, and a call for solidarity addressed to all women of the world.Yours faithfully,[Write Your Name Here][City, Country – e.g. Istanbul, Türkiye]
fehim yamak calgav