The report is a part of the #IntheNameofLove project, conducted by Zagreb Pride and CESI, Croatian ASTRA member. It focuses on the neo-conservative groups and their political agenda of opposing the laws and policies concerning sexual and reproductive health and rights in the European Union. In the last few years, the member states have witnessed a rise of some new, seemingly grassroots movements. The neo-conservative political agenda has been establishing itself as a struggle to defend and protect “endangered” values of “life, family and religious freedom”, and a term its proponents love to use as the ultimate argument is “gender ideology”. This pseudo-scientific term is used as a political tool to curtail further development of sexual and reproductive health and rights. The authors analyze direct political influences through the examples of the organized advocacy actions against accepting the Estrela, Lunacek and Zuber reports in the European Parliament, as well as through the example of European civil initiative called “One of Us”. The final part of the report lists some guidelines for future advocacy actions and strategic confrontations that would limit the influence of neo-conservative interest groups regarding sexual and reproductive health and rights in the European Union. The guidelines have been grouped in three areas: Monitoring, informing and documenting; Reclaiming values and terminology in advocacy, and Networking and building alliances.

ASTRA Network had been consulted by the authors in writing of this publication.

Access the report in English HERE.

Source: CESI