FPASL marks 60th anniversary of International Planned Parenthood Foundation
‘Brave and angry’ women have throughout history brought down social barriers and promoted change. The International Planned Parenthood Foundation (IPPF), which was launched in 1952 at the Third International Conference on Planned Parenthood in Bombay, India was the result of campaigning by a handful of courageous women – including Margaret Sanger from America, Elise Ottesen-Jensen from Sweden, and Dhanvanthi Rama Rau from India – who had each been imprisoned for their campaign for women to have the right to control their own fertility.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the IPPF -now a global service provider and a leading advocate of sexual and reproductive health and rights for all. It is a worldwide movement of national organisations working with and for communities and individuals, comprising 153 member associations that are nationally owned and volunteer based. IPPF also campaigns for legislative change in support of sexual and reproductive rights.
The Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka (FPASL), which comes under the umbrella of the IPPF, marked the 60th anniversary of the IPPF. Addressing the event, Executive Director Ms. Thushara Angus mentioned that the wings of the IPPF reached Sri Lanka early and have cohesively addressed many issues surrounding sexual health.
“We’ve come a long way in a topic of discussion that was not given its rightful place in society for prolonged periods of time. We hope to go from strength to strength, advocating policies supporting proper sexual health,” she said. Also present at the press conference were Ms. Aruni Marcelline, Dr. Pramilla Senanayake, Ismeth Issadeen and Ms. Padma Cumaratunge
In 2011 alone the FPASL delivered 9.2 million condoms and 309,000 sexual and reproductive health checks and provided health services to 304,000 young people, all under the age of 25. Clinics offer a comprehensive range of sexual and reproductive health services. These include contraception, counselling, diagnostic services, HIV and STD screening as well as counselling and testing.
FPASL also advocates increased political commitment to reproductive health education and promotes female empowerment -eradicating unsafe abortion and liberalising abortion laws, aiming to involve the community from the grassroots.
The theme of this year’s action plan is formulated around the five A’s: Access, Adolescents, Aids, Abortion and Advocacy. Providing services to the poor and vulnerable, focusing on young people, extending HIV related services, reducing the occurrence of unsafe abortions and advocating favourable policies are part of their goals.
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