According to a March 8 press release by the Honduran Congress, one of the goals of the bill is to “encourage responsible conduct in the exercise of sexuality and encourage the postponement of the start of sexual relations, until the person reaches physical, emotional, and mental maturity.”
In addition, the legislation seeks to “prevent unwanted pregnancies and disseminate knowledge of the use of modern contraceptive methods in sexually active teens and teenage mothers.”
The Honduran Congress tweeted the same day that “this law is mandatory at the national level in all establishments of pre-primary, primary, secondary, and higher education.”
Members of evangelical denominations and the Catholic Church participated in the march July 22, including the archbishop of Tegucigalpa, José Vicente Nácher, and the archbishop of San Pedro Sula, Miguel Lenihan.
In an interview with HCH Television as he was marching, the archbishop of Tegucigalpa said that “this march is in support of the family, to protect our children, sons and daughters, and life. The family is where the person is born, grows, and develops” and it is the “first [institution] responsible for the care and education of children.”
Lenihan told the press that “we are here to raise our voices against gender ideology. We are calling on the president to not sign the Comprehensive Education Law for the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy.”