Jonathan Høegh von Leunbach lɔjnbɑk(16 December 1884 – 24 September 1955) was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

doctor. During the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the World War I, First World War to the beginning of the World War II, Second World War. The in ...

he made a significant but controversial social effort to help women of limited means with

sex education Sex education, also known as sexual education, sexuality education or sex ed, is the instruction of issues relating to human sexuality, including emotional relations and responsibilities, human sexual anatomy, Human sexual activity, sexual acti ...

birth control Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...

and

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

Life and work

Jonathan Leunbach was the son of Jørgen Høegh Leunbach (1842-1903) and Cassandra Wilhelmine Hjardemaal (1845-1925). He took a master's degree in medicine in 1912 and worked as a general practitioner in Brønderslev in

Jylland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

1915-1917. After some years of hospital employment in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

, he established himself here in 1922 as a general practitioner. Being a

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

, Leunbach was in favour of Wilhelm Reich's sexual political ideas. In the 1920s he was known to the public through his agitation for better sex education, safe and affordable contraception and better access to abortion, particularly for poor families with many children. In 1924, together with writer

Thit Jensen Maria Kirstine Dorothea Jensen (19 January 1876 – 14 May 1957) was a Danish novelist and author who wrote under the name Thit Jensen. She is known for her short stories, plays, and socially-critical articles. For her writing, Jensen was honored ...

he initiated ''Foreningen for seksuel Oplysning'' (Organization for Sexual Awareness), which worked for women's right to use

, in particular the

diaphragm Diaphragm may refer to: Anatomy * Thoracic diaphragm, a thin sheet of muscle between the thorax and the abdomen * Pelvic diaphragm or pelvic floor, a pelvic structure * Urogenital diaphragm or triangular ligament, a pelvic structure Other * Diap ...

. Thit Jensen broke off her collaboration with Leunbach in 1928, as she did not support his work for induced abortion. Internationally, Leunbach was a respected name, being co-founder of the ''Verdensligaen for seksuel Reform'' (World League for Sexual Reform) in Copenhagen in 1927, while in Denmark he was met with massive resistance from most political parties, medical and ecclesial communities as well as the women's rights organisation

Dansk Kvindesamfund The Danish Women's Society or DWS ( da, Dansk Kvindesamfund) is Denmark's oldest women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in th ...

. In the early 1930s, Leunbach performed some 300 abortions, and he was charged twice with complicity in illegal abortion. He was acquitted in 1935, but the following year was sentenced to three months in prison, lost his civil rights for five years, including being barred from working as a doctor. He and some contemporaries regarded this as a political conviction. Leunbachs work helped launch a debate on abortion, which in 1937 brought the Danish parliament to pass Denmark's first abortion legislation, which reduced the penalty for induced abortion and gave better opportunities to let a woman have an abortion for health reasons. In 1939, the private organisation ''Mødrehjælpen'' (Mothers' Help), which was created in 1924 to help pregnant women to have their child, regardless of whether they were married or single, was made part of the public Danish social system. As part of the

sexual liberation The sexual revolution, also known as the sexual liberation, was a social movement that challenged traditional codes of behavior related to sexuality and interpersonal relationships throughout the United States and the developed world from the 1 ...

, induced abortion was made legal in Denmark in 1973, and much of what Leunbach originally fought for is now regarded as self-evident rights. Leunbach died in a drowning accident in Italy and is buried in

Hellerup Cemetery Hellerup Cemetery (Danish: Gellerup Kirkegård) is a cemetery in Hellerup in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located on Bernstorffsvej and was inaugurated on 4 February 1912. The cemetery serves Gentofte Municipality and the nor ...

Miscellaneous

Leunbach is mentioned in episode 10 of the Danish TV series ''

Matador A bullfighter (or matador) is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter and describe all the performers in the activit ...

'', where in 1935 one of the leading ladies creates a commotion in the town by supporting his thoughts on abortion.

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=August 2016 Danish general practitioners Sexology Family planning Burials at Hellerup Cemetery