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"Anyone who is helping a person under 15 years old to have sex is committing a crime under Swedish law," he said. "A way to avoid unexpected pregnancies is not to have sex before 15 ..."
Hammarstrand also refused to rule out charging health workers who distribute other forms of contraception to teenagers under the age of consent.
"I can't see any difference between other sorts of prevention ... If it is prevention pills, condoms, the spiral or something else. It's the same issue," he said.
However, Martin Valfridsson, a spokesman for Swedish Justice Minister Beatrice Ask, said Hammarstrand's interpretation of the law was "not reasonable."
"The aim of the law is to protect young people under the age of 15 from being abused by adults. We believe doctors should continue to help young people in the way they have been doing up to now," he said.
Petter Asp, a professor of criminal law at Stockholm University, told AFP proving such a charge would be very difficult.
"In order to be convicted of aiding a rape, you have to know that you are promoting an offence when giving pills to an underage girl," Asp said.
Sweden, known for its liberal attitudes, has been praised for the effectiveness of its sex education in schools. The Scandinavian country has one of the lowest teenage birth rates worldwide, according to the latest UNICEF data.
A 2001 report by the UN body found that there were 6.5 teenage mothers for every 1,000 Swedish women between the ages of 15 and 19, compared to 30.8 in Britain and 52.1 in the United States.
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Hammarstrand also refused to rule out charging health workers who distribute other forms of contraception to teenagers under the age of consent.
"I can't see any difference between other sorts of prevention ... If it is prevention pills, condoms, the spiral or something else. It's the same issue," he said.
However, Martin Valfridsson, a spokesman for Swedish Justice Minister Beatrice Ask, said Hammarstrand's interpretation of the law was "not reasonable."
"The aim of the law is to protect young people under the age of 15 from being abused by adults. We believe doctors should continue to help young people in the way they have been doing up to now," he said.
Petter Asp, a professor of criminal law at Stockholm University, told AFP proving such a charge would be very difficult.
"In order to be convicted of aiding a rape, you have to know that you are promoting an offence when giving pills to an underage girl," Asp said.
Sweden, known for its liberal attitudes, has been praised for the effectiveness of its sex education in schools. The Scandinavian country has one of the lowest teenage birth rates worldwide, according to the latest UNICEF data.
A 2001 report by the UN body found that there were 6.5 teenage mothers for every 1,000 Swedish women between the ages of 15 and 19, compared to 30.8 in Britain and 52.1 in the United States.
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