Sixty non-governmental organizations in Lithuania appealed to the minister of education, urging for the introduction of science-based sex education in schools. Organizations reacted to the upcoming program for Sexuality Education and Preparation for Family Life, which fails to even mention sex education and promotes abstinence based on religious values instead. NGOs expressed their concern that in Lithuania, a growing number of young people are suffering from sexually transmitted diseases, while teenage pregnancy rates are higher than in most other European countries.