Doctors aid rape by giving teens the pill: Swedish prosecutor
AFP
STOCKHOLM- Doctors in Sweden who prescribe the contraceptive pill to girls under 15 could face charges as an accessory to rape, a local prosecutor told AFP on Thursday.
Mikael Hammarstrand, deputy chief prosecutor in Gaevle, 170 kilometres (105 miles) north of Stockholm, said he would take legal action against health professionals handing out contraception to girls under the age of consent.
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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