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Paraguay unveiled a new national sex education curriculum for the first time, sparking controversy due to Paraguayans’ conservative social mores that promote abstinence, discourage contraception and neglect LGBTQ issues, the Associated Press reported this week.

The curriculum, backed by the Ministry of Education, frames sex as “God’s invention for married people.” It will be piloted in five eastern regions in September before potentially being rolled out nationwide.

Despite supporters’ claims that it aligns with Paraguayan cultural values, critics countered that it lacks scientific rigor and perpetuates harmful stereotypes, such as suggesting that “boys don’t cry easily,” and that female puberty prepares girls to become wives and mothers.

Women’s rights advocates and sexual health educators expressed alarm, warning that it could increase misinformation and fail to provide young people with the necessary knowledge to make informed decisions about their sexual health.

The curriculum has received support from conservative religious groups and politicians who see it as a tool to uphold traditional values. Paraguay, a predominantly Catholic country with the highest teenage pregnancy rate in South America, has long avoided comprehensive sex education. This initiative marks the first major attempt to introduce it nationally.

The conservative Colorado Party, which has ruled Paraguay for most of the past 80 years, has played a significant role in shaping the country’s policies, including this new curriculum.

President Santiago Peña, elected earlier this year, has promised to give religious leaders greater influence over education, aligning with the recent rise of right-wing politics in Latin America.