ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, March 7, 1996 TAG: 9603070057
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-3 EDITION: METRO
Calif. revives statutory rape law
LOS ANGELES - First it was ``Just abstain.'' Then it was ``Use a condom.'' And now it is ``Go to jail.''
Frustrated by failure to stem an epidemic of teen-age pregnancies, California Gov. Pete Wilson and his state's prosecutors have put an old remedy to a new use: They are stepping up enforcement of statutory rape laws against men who impregnate underage girls.
Officials say the new campaign is supported by increasingly reliable data debunking the myth that teen-age pregnancy is the product of naive love between two promiscuous youths.
More often than not, officials say, the problem is the pairing of teen-age girls and adult males, and prosecutors are increasingly interested in making the men take responsibility, either as child-rearers or as time-doers.
``It's the older guys out there who are responsible for this, and the word is going to be out on the street that there are consequences,'' said Michael Carrington, a Wilson spokesman. ``We think it's going to be the answer.''
- Chicago Tribune
Buyers must be told about lead paint
WASHINGTON - Beginning later this year, homeowners and landlords must inform buyers and tenants about the presence of lead-based paint, which has poisoned more than 1.7 million American children.
The government rules, announced Wednesday, cover most public and private housing built before 1978, when lead was banned from household paint. The rules also give buyers 10 days to have homes inspected for lead before they close the deal.
- Associated Press
LENGTH: Short : 40 linesby CNB