DA Warns Teachers that Sex Ed Could Be a Criminal Offense
A Wisconsin district attorney is warning sex-education teachers that they could face criminal charges if they show students how to use contraception.
District Attorney Scott Southworth sent teachers in Juneau County a letter last month warning that they could be charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor if they show students how to use a condom or take birth-control pills. The Associated Press and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel have stories.
Southworth wrote in his letter (PDF posted by AOL News) that a new sex education law requiring age-appropriate birth control education “promotes the sexualization—and sexual assault—of our children.”
“It is akin to teaching children about alcohol use, then instructing them on how to make mixed alcoholic drinks,” he wrote.
The state law doesn’t require schools to teach sex education, but says those school that do have the curriculum should cover a wide range of subjects, including use of contraceptives, the benefits of abstinence and criminal penalties for underage sex, AP says.
Southworth’s letter said the circumstances will dictate whether charges are brought, but teachers are at risk if they instruct a child under the age of 16 how to use contraception, with the knowledge that the youth is having or likely to have sex with another child.
Above the Law noted the story, also published in AOL News. “Put those condoms and bananas away, teachers,” the blog says.
