Juneau County District Attorney Scott Southworth has reportedly threatened to prosecute schools if they comply with new state sex-education educational directives. He has declared that such courses encourage minors to have sex.
Republican Southworth insists that the law would expose minors to the use of condoms and other contraceptives “promotes the sexualization — and sexual assault — of our children.” Southworth sent a letter to five school districts threatening such prosecutions:
“If a teacher instructs any student aged 16 or younger how to utilize contraceptives under circumstances where the teacher knows the child is engaging in sexual activity with another child — or even where the ‘natural and probable consequences’ of the teacher’s instruction is to cause that child to engage in sexual intercourse with a child — that teacher can be charged under this statute” of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. …
“Forcing our schools to instruct children on how to utilize contraceptives encourages our children to engage in sexual behavior, whether as a victim or an offender,” he wrote. “It is akin to teaching children about alcohol use, then instructing them on how to make mixed alcoholic drinks.”
The law allows parents to remove their children from such classes, which are left to the discretion of the school districts.
Southworth’s threat of prosecution is a shocking abuse of office and worthy of review by the Wisconsin bar.
We have seen similar abuses recently in Arizona, here.
For the full story, click here.
Kudos: Buddha is Laughing
Mike Appleton @ 5:37pm:
“He (Mr. Southworth) apparently believes that AIDS is divine punishment for homosexual sex and that pregnancy is divine punishment for heterosexual sex outside of marriage.”
Silly Mr. Southworth, I wonder how often he heard that trite retort:
“God sure does love Lesbians!”
Maybe Sarah Palin could teach the class.
lotta premature babies born back then. some were born five and six months after the marriage.
Mike A:
“He comes from the knowledge promotes desire school.”
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I have it on good authority that before the invention of sex education and condoms there was no sex.
Blouise, absolutely. This gentleman is firmly opposed to sex education in the schools. He comes from the knowledge promotes desire school.
Mike A
Are his actions a purposeful implementation of intimidation?
Mr. Southworth was indeed one of the plaintiffs challenging the student fees system at the University of Wisconsin. His objection was that when the fees were apportioned among student groups, part of them went to organizations whose positions he opposed. The objectionable organizations included those supporting hispanic students, gay rights, AIDS prevention and equal rights for women. He apparently believes that AIDS is divine punishment for homosexual sex and that pregnancy is divine punishment for heterosexual sex outside of marriage.
More to the point, however, his duty as a prosecutor is to enforce the laws, including those with which he disagrees. Unless and until the sex education law is repealed or overturned by the courts, he is bound by it. His letter is a thinly veiled threat to educators that he may pursue them if they comply with the new law. It is also specious and grounded in his personal moral views rather than reason and logic. He is grossly abusing the authority of his office. An honorable man would not make false threats to express his disapproval of a duly enacted statute; he would submit his resignation. In this instance, his resignation should be requested and his actions referred to the Wisconsin Bar for further inquiry.
“Forcing our schools to instruct children on how to utilize contraceptives encourages our children to engage in sexual behavior, whether as a victim or an offender,” he wrote. “It is akin to teaching children about alcohol use, then instructing them on how to make mixed alcoholic drinks.”
Hey, District Attorney Scott Southworth may have something there.
Suppose we did offer instruction to high school kids about proper consumption if they chose to consume? After all given the number of college fraternity deaths due to alcohol poisoning it seems a little instruction early on might save some lives down the road.
Good idea.
And now, the real reason for lawyer Southworth’s letter encyclical:
“‘If I’d wanted to be ideological, I would have said in the letter you shouldn’t have sex before marriage because that’s the Christian perspective. I’m an evangelical,’ Southworth said.”
In the year 2007 there were a total of 552 crimes in Juneau County, Wisconsin. With a population of 27,321, there was 1 crime for every 49.5 people in the county. Out of the 552 crimes reported, 488 were crimes against property (burglery, larceny, motor vehicle theft, and arson) and 64 were violent crimes (murder, rape, aggravated assault, and robbery).
The 2007 crime rate was 2,020.4 incidents per 100,000 people. A -2.0% change in the total crime rate from 2006 (2,061.7 incidents). There were 234.3 violent crimes reported per 100,000 people resulting in a -1.5% change (from 242.3 incidents). Property crimes changed 0.0% from (1,819.3) the previous year to 1,786.2 per 100,000 people.
Juneau County ranks #62 for violent crimes and #30 for crimes against property in the state. While it ranks #1,547 and #1,252 for violent and property related offenses respectively in the nation.
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The foregoing are the data for crimes occurring in Juneau County, Wisconsin. I offer it to show Mr. Southworth that his legal job is not obsolete, and that his avocation as arbiter of teenage morals could wait a bit. One wonder how Mr. Southworth has the time, resources, or inclination to determine “Who’s zooming who?” at the schools. These new Puritans need to go the way of the old Puritans.
Sally again showing some fine practical thinking. There is nothing you can educate a hormonal teen with that will make them think sex is anything but fun. No threats of Hell, no “Just say no”, simply . . . nothing. One can, however, make pregnancy seem like a real, real bad idea. And even if you only reach the girls, well, it does take two to tango as the saying goes and mission accomplished.
I’m not sure I get the analogy about the mixed drinks. It is not illegal in Wisconsin for someone under the legal age to drink in the presence of and with the permission of a parent or spouse of legal age, even in bars. Under the law this could apply to infants although child abuse laws might be applied in that case.
Secondly, if you expand his interpretation of the contributing issue, then drivers ed and gun safety would also be illegal since they encourage youth to engage in unlawful activities (underage driving, possesion of firearms.)
I thought District Attorneys ENFORCE laws — they don’t make them.
District Attorney Scott Southworth is roaming the Earth with the dinosaurs … probably looking for teabags.
So … better to have kids wallow in ignorance than be fully educated. Fair enough. However,
Will Mr. Southworth he pay for the teens prenatal care? Labor & delivery care? Neonatal care? Will he take in the unwanted children of teen mothers? Will he pay for the teens medical care once they contract STD’s? Somehow, I doubt it.
Sally: LOL! Hell, I was even grossed out while watching that video in lamaze class to the point where I just wanted to stay pregnan – forever!!
Interesting factoid: this is (I’m assuming) the same guy who was a plaintiff in a U.S. Supreme Court case from about 10 years ago:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/98-1189.ZS.html
The issue was whether a public university can compel its studenets to pay for polical speech.
Too bad we can’t link stories together. I see some sort of connection between this social conservative wanting children to be ignorant of sex and the next story on this blog, about a 12 year old dying from her wedding night “sexual intercourse.” I don’t want to think about what physically happened that resulted in this girl bleeding to death, but it makes sense to me that what happened (from someone thinking it’s OK to have sex with a 12 year old, to the response to her hemorrhaging) was driven by the kind of ignorance that this prosecutor hopes to maintain.
Just show students videos of women giving birth. Really detailed ones, such as lotus births (look that up!), maybe one or two where the placenta is consumed and c sections. Maybe a few vaginal deliviries of twins or triplets.
Maybe have parents of students at the schools donate their own home birth videos?
Those students won’t be having sex for a lonnnnngg time.
Money saved….problem solved
Mr. Southworth must move to be worthy of his name.
I always considered the good people of Wisconsin, although notorious “cheeseheads” generally sane and rational folks.
Hopefully this aberration of a DA is driven out of office, out of the bar, and then he just might consider moving.
If you found this article to be interesting, you may like this video as well. http://www
Isn’t this a violation of the Rules of PR and maybe some Statute in WI to threaten criminal prosecution to enforce or settle a civil action?