Paraguay

[phkrause]

In Paraguay’s first sex ed program, condoms can’t be trusted and love is forever In Catholic Paraguay, which has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in South America, many young mothers explained their teen pregnancies to The Associated Press as the result of growing up in a country where national sex education is indistinguishable from a hygiene lesson. Read more.

Why this matters: For the first time, the Ministry of Education has endorsed a national sex ed curriculum. But in a surprising twist, it’s the sexual health educators and feminists who are panicked. Conservative lobbyists are thrilled.   The curriculum, a copy of which was obtained by the AP, promotes abstinence, explains sex as “God’s invention for married people,” warns about the inefficacy of condoms and says nothing of sexual orientation or identity. Critics say the teachings also perpetuate sexist stereotypes: “Men conquer, not seduce,” “girls have smaller and lighter brains,” “boys don’t cry easily,” “girls don’t like taking risks.”   As a new generation of activists campaigning for legal abortion and gay rights scores victories across Latin America, a conservative backlash has gathered in Paraguay. The rise of the far right in Latin America has given the governing party’s platform of religion, family and “patria,” or fatherland, newer resonance — emboldening conservative culture warriors with evangelical ties to take their battles to classrooms.

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