EDUCATION: Italy introduces parental consent for sex education in schools

ROME - Sex education in Italian schools will require parental consent under a reform promoted by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing government, which also excludes it from nurseries and primary schools.

The bill, sponsored by Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara, won final approval in the Senate on Thursday, drawing criticism from opposition parties that it could restrict teenagers' access to important information.

"Subordinating sex education to parental consent is like asking families' permission to teach Italian (literature) or history: an institutional absurdity that betrays the educational mandate of public schools," said Angelo Bonelli, co-leader of the Greens and Left Alliance party.

Valditara said after the vote that the reform would protect minors "from the confusion of gender propaganda" and re-establish the constitutional principle that parents are responsible for their children's education.

The terms "gender theory" or "gender propaganda" are often used by conservative politicians to discredit academic studies or policies that challenge traditional notions of masculinity and femininity, or state that gender identities are not fixed.

Under the new law, schools must inform families at least seven days in advance of any sex education initiatives, including details on outside experts or organisations involved.

Pro Vita & Famiglia, a Catholic group advocating traditional family values, welcomed the measure, saying it would allow parents to reject initiatives they deemed inappropriate.

"Parents will be able to learn about, identify and reject in advance inappropriate projects that promote gender fluidity, abortion, surrogate motherhood and an ideological vision of sexuality among minors," a spokesperson said.

Sex education in schools is not compulsory in Italy, unlike in most European countries. A 2025 Save the Children survey found only 47% of Italian teenagers had received it.

(Reporting by Alvise Armellini, editing by Andrew Cawthorne)