"I always thought that we as a world were at the beginning of a wave of non-violent conflict resolution, but in fact, we are already in the middle of it.” – how the world is becoming war averse and what doctors have to do with nuclear weapons.

Dr. Mary-Wynne Ashford, Past Co-President, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, Victoria, Canada

When you look at today’s media coverage on wars and potential dangers, quite a few things are striking. Among them is the fact that almost no one ever talks about the many conflicts that have been successful resolved without violence over the past two decades, or the fact that the number of wars has greatly declined since the end of the Cold War. Another noticeable fact is the amount of coverage on the war on terror. Almost nobody, however, talks anymore about the still huge nuclear arsenal of the USA and Russia and its potential dangers.
In 1984, Mary-Wynne Ashford heard an Australian doctor, Helen Caldicott, talking about these facts. This experience left her, a successful physician, with many sleepless nights and the urge to get active personally. During the last 20 years Mary-Wynne gave endless speeches to create awareness of the threat of nuclear weapons and to increase the speed of (nuclear) disarmament – good thing that she enjoys public speaking.
In 2004 she started to write a book on solutions to violence, terror and war, which demonstrates that there are plenty of creative and innovative solutions to conflicts. These are solutions that do not require shedding blood and killing endless numbers of innocent human beings.

Enjoy reading selected thoughts and statements of our discussion with Mary-Wynne in the quotations below. You may be able to read more about her and the innovative solutions she found in our book “MyImpact”.

Mary-Wynne Ashfords’ selected quotations:
"When I heard Dr. Caldicott speaking about the nuclear dangers I was mesmerized; I knew all the facts but it never occurred to me that they had anything to do with me, that I needed to get active and do something."

"What was the point of me making money, even for my kids, if due to the nuclear threats there was a big chance that there would be no future for them?"

"Today, we need to re-sensitize and re-educate young people about the consequences of nuclear weapons; young people don't know about them anymore. Since 1991 people thought it was over, but it is not and so we teach again."

"Most countries want the end of nuclear proliferation: if the USA decides to get rid of its nuclear weapons, the other nuclear states will follow.

"We are living in a frightening time. The USA and Russia have between them 4'000 weapons on high alert; Ready to be launched on warning of an incoming attack.

"Why I do it? I don't really know. I love sewing and tried to do that, instead. After a month I couldn’t stand it anymore to see important things that needed be done and not doing them."

"A friend, Guy Dauncey, contacted me with the idea of a book about “101 solutions to violence, terror and war” and asked whether I was interested in contributing to his series of solution books. I was, and I started gathering stories in addition to the maybe 50 initiatives that I already knew about."

"There is an incredible number of stories around nonviolent interventions to conflicts. There are many more than I can portrait in the book and they never appear in the news."

"Within the last 30 years there were 80% fewer major wars, fewer human rights violations and 60 dictators have been tumbled nonviolently. The world has become war averse. I always thought that we as a world were at the beginning of a wave of social change away from war, but in fact, we are already in the middle of it."

"I get my satisfaction from working with people, teaching, bringing people to the "aha", demonstrating that we can change things. I like working with doctors who are not concerned about money and investments, but in easing human suffering by preventing war.

"When I started, nuclear weapons where the only thing that could wipe out human life in an afternoon. Today, environmental issues are as serious. I stick with the nuclear issues since they could solve many environmental problems and because that's where my expertise is."

"You don't have to engage in anti-nuclear activities but you have to do something meaningful with your life."

"At the end of my life I want to be able to say that I lived a life that had a meaning. And here the single most important thing is the service to others. Just aiming for material wealth leaves people empty and depressed; they cannot find meaning in life."

"When you do service to others you become more alive. Working to provide a good home for your expensive furniture does not really do the trick."

"Many people don't realize when they have enough."

"I retired from medicine because I wanted to have more time for the promotion of peace and for my grandchildren. From these things I will never retire.”

"As a doctor I loved delivering children; it was terrifying and exciting. You have to concentrate and look terribly relaxed. Seeing patients die, on the other hand, reinforced the realization of what is important in life. They always talked about what was good and valuable, about family."

"What did I sacrifice? I guess we don't have much time for entertainment, music that I love or for a large number of social contacts. But is it really a sacrifice if you have time for family and other important things?"

Some background on Dr. Mary-Wynne Ashford:
Dr. Mary-Wynne Ashford graduated from the University of Alberta in 1960 and 61 with B.Sc. and B.Ed. degrees. She returned to university to study Medicine at the University of Calgary when she was 38 years old, graduating in 1981 and later working as family doctor for 11 years.
In 1984 she became active in the nuclear disarmament movement, working mainly with International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW).
Mary-Wynne served as President of the Canadian Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War from 1988-90, and chaired the World Congress of IPPNW in 1988 in Montreal. In 1988, after the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the organization, IPPNW sent her as a “Nobel Emissary” to work in France for three months, helping French physicians in the nuclear disarmament movement. As an IPPNW leader, she has given more than 250 lectures and presentations in some 20 countries, including a keynote speech to Gorbachev’s Forum for a Nuclear Free World for the Survival of Mankind, in Moscow in 1987.
Mary-Wynne’s interest in the roots of violence led her to pursue doctoral studies at Simon Fraser University, where she graduated with a Ph.D. in 1997 with a dissertation on prevention of adolescent violence. She has received many awards including the prestigious Gandhi Award from Simon Fraser University and the Thakore Foundation, and the Governor General of Canada’s Medal. She received the YWCA Women of Distinction Award in the Human Rights category, the YMCW Peace Medal, and, in 2004, the Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility Distinguished Physician Award in the name of Sir Paul Beeson.
Mary-Wynne retired from clinical medicine at the end of 2003 in order to write “Enough Blood Shed: 101 Solutions to Violence, Terror and War”. The book documents successful non-violent interventions that have prevented or resolved armed conflict.
Dr. Ashford is married to Dr. Russell Davidson and has three children, four step children and eight grandchildren.

Some background on the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War:
IPPNW is a non-partisan, global federation of national medical organizations in 58 countries dedicated to research, education, and advocacy relevant to the prevention of nuclear war. To this end, IPPNW seeks to prevent all wars, to promote non-violent conflict resolution, and to minimize the effects of war and preparations for war on health, development, and the environment.
IPPNW works for
• Abolition of all nuclear weapons
• Demilitarization of the global economy and an end to the arms trade
• Re-allocation of resources from military to civilian needs, especially to basic health care and human necessities
• Sustainable and ecologically sound economic development
IPPNW is the only international medical organization dedicated to the abolition of nuclear weapons. Its principal program areas beyond the core mission of nuclear abolition include projects to end the threats posed by small arms and light weapons, landmines, chemical and biological weapons, and the burden of debt on developing nations.
The organization was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985 for its considerable service to mankind by spreading authoritative information and by creating an awareness of the catastrophic consequences of atomic warfare.

If you would like to engage with the work of Mary-Wynne Ashford or get to know more about the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War please visit www.ippnw.org, or, for more specific opportunities, contact joanna.stefanska@myimpact.ch or wolfgang.hafenmayer@myimpact.ch directly.