Town official wants boys to carry condoms

TULUA, Colombia, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- A town official in Colombia wants to require that all teenage boys carry condoms.

The BBC said the proposal by a councilor in the town of Tulua is an attempt to stop unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.

Willima Pena told El Tiempo all men over the age of 14 in the town of Tulua should have to carry condoms, just as they carry ID cards, or face a fine.

"The measure does not force anyone to have sex, but to protect themselves," Pena told the newspaper.

But a local priest has compared the scheme to "selling guns on the street," the BBC said.

Last year, 14 people died in Tulua due to sexually transmitted diseases, a 50 percent increase from 2003.