Like any other nation in Europe, Spain's social conflicts extend beyond the realm of immigration and workers' rights issues. One particular social conflict that is unique to the country, however, is the introduction of a new education curriculum called Education for Citizenship. The initiative, which is led by the PSOE, strives to provide young adults with comprehensive sex ed as well as wide ranging discussion on issues related to abortion and sexual orientation.
Although homosexuality and abortion have lost some of their stigmas since Franco's death in the late 70s, the introduction of these topics in school classrooms has proved to be a divisive issue that pits a very socially progressive PSOE government against the conservative wings of Spanish society, including the powerful Opus Dei sect that plays a major role in the Spanish Catholic Church as well as the PP.
This story from the BBC and its accompanying podcast give a nice overview of the issue and the ambiguities that are characteristic of the attitudes of the people that find themselves positioned between these two antagonists in the debate.
Another post on education in Spain will follow this week.
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