The Luxembourg Centre of Family Planning and Sexual and Emotional Education is celebrating its 60 years of commitment to education on sexual health and to its fight for access to medical services for all.
Board director Ainhoa Achutegi highlights the inclusive approach of the organisation, emphasising its openness to people’s questions and its commitment to such openness.
The organisation was founded 1965, a time when it was confronted with socially conservative attitudes in Luxembourg, according to Achutegi. Despite the social conservatism of the time, Achutegi credits the founders of the Centre for the passing of social reforms that are still present to this day, such as the liberalisation of abortion.
However, current political developments point to the need to further protect these rights. For example, board secretary Fatima Rougi calls for the right to have access to an abortion to be included in the constitution of Luxembourg as a preventive measure, pointing to the fragility of abortion laws in other countries. Other demands include the expansion of access to contraception and to female hygiene products.
In the context of 60 years of the Centre, a myriad of events are organised over the upcoming months to raise awareness concerning important contemporary topics related to sex education, according to Director Céline Gérard.
Achutegui adds that raising awareness about medical illnesses that mainly concern women – such as endometriosis – is of pressing importance. In order to achieve this, a feminist approach that includes both men and women is indispensable, according to Achutegui, who rejects the notion of feminism as the opposite of masculinism, and also describing feminism as a common struggle towards equality.
Achutegui concludes that an understanding of gender equality forms the basis for the commitments of the Centre of Family Planning.
The events organised by the Centre of Family Planning from April to November can be found on its website https://pfl.lu.
