Sexuality

The legal part 

16 is the minimum legal age for sexual intercourse. It is illegal for a person aged 18 or over to have sexual intercourse with a person younger than 16 (it is considered as an act of indecent assault and is severely punished by the law). It becomes rape if the act occurs with a person younger than 14. It is not forbidden for a person to go out with someone younger than 16. You need to be at least 18 or have your parents' permission in order to live with someone.   Having sex in a public place is considered as an immoral offence. In theory you can be prosecuted but in most cases you will be reprimanded.  

Contraception

 It is advised to talk to your doctor to find out which is the best contraceptive method for you. The doctor may give you a prescription. Some universities and higher schools have a medical service for students. You can also contact a doctor in the family planning centre or surf on www.planning-familial.be  [FR] or on www.cgso.be  [EN, FR, NL].   If you are a girl and haven't taken any precautions, you can take the emergency contraceptive pill at the latest 72 hours (3 days) after intercourse. The earlier you take this pill, the greater are its effects. This pill can be bought over the counter from chemists, family planning centres and from some JACs (in Flanders) (www.jac.be  [NL]).   Not only is the condom a good contraceptive method, it is also the only protection against sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS. Always keep a condom on you, even if you are a girl. Condoms are cheap and you can buy them in supermarkets, chemist, automatic dispensers, or get them for free at a JAC (youth information centre)... Fantasycondoms (flavoured and coloured) that are sold in Belgium are not always 100% secure. If you have any doubts regarding the quality of a make, check the EC label on the packaging, this means the product meets the European quality standards and therefore is reliable.   If you have taken risks during intercourse and you think you may have contracted an STD (sexually transmitted disease), contact a doctor or a youth information centre (you will find these on www.cidj.be/liens/liens_info_jeunes.htm  [FR]), Aids-en Soa- Telefoon : 078 15 15 15 (www.sensoa.be  [EN, FR, NL]); you can also find information on www.sips.be  [FR].  

Abortion  

Belgian law allows abortions. The law stipulates that a woman or a girl in a critical situation caused by a pregnancy can terminate it. Abortions are medical acts that are carried out by doctors in hospitals, family planning centres or in a abortuscentrum (in Flanders), at 12 weeks after fecundation. An information service that is linked to the hospital or centre offers psychological support during the decision taking and after the operation. There is an obligatory waiting period of 6 days after the decision and the operation. If you have a Belgian health insurance, the Belgian social security reimburses nearly the total costs of the termination. Further information can be found in family planning centres (www.planning-familial.be  [FR]), in Centrale Coördinatie van Nederlandstalige Abortuscentra (www.abortuscentra-vlaanderen.be  [NL]) and on the Prisma website  (www.prisma.be.tt  [DE]).