How Secular Is the Nicaraguan State?
Article 14 of the Nicaraguan Constitution establishes a secular state with no official religion, Article 68 establishes that “no-one can elude observance of the laws or impede others from exercising their rights and fulfilling their duties by invoking religious beliefs or dispositions.” But recent events related to women’s health indicate that these constitutional guarantees are not being fulfilled in Nicaragua. Recently, the Education Ministry published a manual entitled “Education for Life.” Developed with support from the UN Population Fund, the manual was to be distributed to teachers around the country as a tool for sex education in the schools. Protest from religious sectors was so strong that President Bolaños was forced to withdraw the manual from circulation, stating that the manual must “reflect our values, our customs, our philosophy of life, and the Christian nature of its ethical and moral principles.” This was the second public document to be censured based on religious c
