Educação sexual e ensino de Biologia

This article aims to discuss the tensions and possibilities of sexual education in Biology teaching, considering the intersections between science, religion, and the State in the contemporary Brazilian context. In a scenario marked by the growing influence of private values on the public sphere and the rise of neoconservatism in Brazil, it is assumed that curricular disputes reflect and refract conflicting values, discourses, and practices vying for hegemony. To illustrate this issue, the study presents an analysis of bills recently proposed by parliamentarians linked to Christian churches, which seek to prohibit or hinder access to legal abortion. These movements are considered relevant to Biology teaching as they are directly connected to discussions about the reproductive rights of people with uteruses, which intersect with and challenge sexual education in schools. It is argued that, in a context of weakened secularism and attacks on the Democratic Rule of Law, religious and moral influences directly impact teaching practices and curricula committed to fighting oppression and violence against politically minoritized populations. Thus, the article seeks to contribute to the debate on maintaining a critical and inclusive education.