Evangelical Church Fights Sex Education in Costa Rica

The Evangelical Alliance of Costa Rica presented the Constitutional Court with some three thousand signatures against sex education programs provided by the Government to schools, on the grounds of unconstitutionality.

It is the first mass action by the institution in what has been considered a declared war against Christian churches ever since the Ministerio de Educacion Publica (MEP) - Ministry of Public Education - launched the project hoping to halt the rise in teenage pregnancies and other problems associated with irresponsible sexuality.

Parents declared in the appeal that they felt offended and indicated that norms had not been met in regard to their right to know what materials are being taught to their children.

MEP Minister Leonardo Garnier, warned that the program of reproductive health and sex education that will start nationwide is aimed at reducing teenage pregnancy and the government will not back down.

The current educational strategy is intended to overcome a lag of decades, with a scientific basis, to help meet the challenge of untimely social and human procreation.

However, the evangelical authorities believe the parents should have been consulted beforehand.

The president of the Alliance, Juan Luis Calvo, described the content of educational guides to train youth and adolescents in reproductive health and sex education as immoral and contrary to the national character.

Calvo said it comes before the promotion of values such as chastity and virginity defended by the Church and warned about a suspected hormonal rampage triggered by these educational practices.