PS: Sex education is "not an ideological accessory"

Follow our liveblog on politics .

The Socialist Party (PS) questioned the Government this Wednesday about the elimination of sexuality content from the Citizenship subject and warned of "a setback in health promotion", considering that education on these topics "is not an ideological accessory".

In a question about the elimination of sexuality content from the Citizenship and Development subject sent to the Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, Fernando Alexandre, released this Wednesday, the socialist deputies consider that "the absence of clear references to sexual education in the new proposed documents cannot be seen as a simple curricular reformulation ".

“On the contrary, it could mean a setback in promoting the health and well-being of young people, as well as in preventing risky behavior,” they warn.

The PS wants to know how the Government “explains that there is not a single mention of such fundamental concepts as contraceptive methods, or sexually transmitted diseases”, when it had promised that “no topic would be dropped” .

“Do you consider that the integral development of students can be achieved without acquiring these learnings?” he asks.

Socialist MPs want the government to clarify how it expects to fulfill Portugal's international and national commitments in these areas.

"Sexuality education is not an ideological accessory; it is a right recognized by international organizations and an essential tool for the healthy development of children and adolescents ," he argues, recalling that, in 2009, a law was passed establishing the regime for implementing sex education in schools.

The socialists state that when analyzing the document, which is open for public consultation until August 1, "nothing is explicitly mentioned in relation to sexuality, in any of the school years, not even with regard to sexually transmitted diseases or contraception."

This omission, for the PS, “raises serious concerns”.

"By eliminating any explicit reference to sexuality, contraception, or the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, the Minister of Education is, in practice, making topics that are crucial to the comprehensive education of young people invisible," he said.

Subjects related to gender identity will be left out of the new Essential Learning for the Citizenship and Development discipline because they are too complex, the Minister of Education, Science and Innovation explained on Monday .

The new National Strategy for Citizenship Education (ENEC) and the Essential Learning for the Citizenship and Development discipline have entered public consultation, and the new guidelines dedicate less attention to topics such as sexuality or animal welfare and more to financial literacy and entrepreneurship.

Two weeks ago, when the Ministry announced the changes to the discipline at a press conference, the Deputy Secretary of State for Education, Alexandre Homem Cristo, explained that, with regard to the topics, a restructuring would be carried out without "any being dropped."

Until now, the course had 17 areas, including some more controversial ones such as gender equality or sexuality, but not all of them were mandatory.