In Italy, parents gained the right to prohibit children from attending sex education classes
In Italy, parental consent will now be mandatory for students to participate in sex education programs. The country has officially approved the relevant bill, initiated by Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara and supported by the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The document also stipulates that sex education topics will not be taught in kindergartens and primary schools.
What the new law entails
According to the new rules, educational institutions must notify parents at least seven days in advance about any activities related to sex education. Schools are also required to provide information about external experts or organizations involved in conducting such classes.
After the vote, Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara stated that the reform aims to protect minors from what he called "the confusion of gender propaganda," as well as to restore the constitutional principle that parents bear the primary responsibility for raising their children.
At the same time, the terms "gender theory" and "gender propaganda" are often used by conservative politicians to criticize academic research or government policies that challenge traditional notions of male and female roles or recognize that gender identity can take various forms.
The opposition criticized the reform
The innovation has drawn criticism from opposition parties, local media report.
One of the leaders of the Italian opposition, Angelo Bonelli, stated that making sex education dependent on parental consent contradicts the educational mission of public schools.
According to him, such a practice resembles a situation where separate permission from students' families would also be required to teach literature or history.
Supporters of the reform speak about strengthening the role of parents
Catholic public activists who advocate for traditional family values welcomed the adoption of the law.
In their opinion, the new rules will give parents the opportunity to familiarize themselves in advance with the content of educational projects and to refuse their children's participation in programs they consider unacceptable.
Supporters of the changes also emphasize that parents will be able to control projects that, in their view, promote gender fluidity, abortion, surrogacy, or an ideological approach to sexual education of minors.
Sex education in Italy remains optional
Unlike most European countries, sex education is not a mandatory part of the school curriculum in Italy.
According to a study conducted in 2025, only 47% of Italian teenagers reported receiving sex education at school. For this reason, critics of the reform fear that the new restrictions may further reduce young people's access to such information.
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