[Sex education and population policies].

Controversy about sex education programs has hampered sustained actin or curricular extension in Mexico beyond programs directly related to demographic policies. The 1st sex education in Mexico perhaps dated back to 1908 when physicians and other health professionals, inspired by the eugenics movement, offered sex education to prevent venereal diseases and maternal and/infant mortality. A 2nd attempt occurred in 1916 in the context of the women's suffrage movement. The 2 perspectives were integrated in a sex education project in 1933, as part of the program of "revolutionary education" legitimized by the progressive and modernizing government of the time. Conservative groups including some parents' associations and religious organizations insisted on their exclusive right to provide sex education, and in following decades they opposed social programs related to primary health care and women's rights. In the 1960, the introduction to Mexico of modern contraceptives and the questioning by young people of virginity and the double standard of sexual morality were not aided by any formal program of sex education in Mexico. In the early 1970s, the need to transform fertility patterns led to establishment of formal sex education programs at the national level. The focus was on reproduction and demographic aspects. Most students were exposed to classes and textbooks covering puberty, human reproduction, contraception, and sexually transmitted diseases. The intense activity of the early years did not continue in the subsequent program, but currently, the threat of AIDS and economic and social pressures are prompting a new political will in favor of sex education. Sex education is seen as the main strategy for AIDS prevention programs. Homosexual groups are demonstrating a new political pressure as civil organizations integrated into a new sector demanding sex education. At the same time, population policies are assuming a predominant position in official discourse as a means of facing social and economic needs. New programs are under study for the rural populations and adolescents who are not well covered by existing family planning programs. A national sex survey found that there had been some advances in sex education, with almost half of respondents stating they had received information on sexuality and contraception from teachers or written materials. Curriculum adjustments are being made in sex education at the basic and intermediate levels within the program of Educational modernization. Content covering development of affective and personal relations and prevention of AIDS is being added. A new unit on Adolescent Sexuality is also planned to cover sexual identity and expression and the control and abuse of sexual impulses.