Missouri considers a bill to force teachers to share students' sexual secrets:

A bill that seeks to overhaul Missouri's child abuse reporting laws could require teachers, doctors, nurses and others to report sexually active teenagers and children to the state's abuse hot line. Until Monday, the bill had been sailing through the Legislature with little formal debate. It was scheduled for a House vote this morning, but on Monday the bill's author sent it back to committee for revisions...Perhaps the most controversial provision of the bill is one that many say would require educators, medical personnel and other professionals to report "substantial evidence of sexual intercourse by an unmarried minor under the age of consent." Critics say the language would, in essence, require child abuse reports even of cases of consensual sex between two teens. Byrd claims the bill seeks only to target sex by children under the age of 15. Regardless of the age covered by the bill, some opponents say its consequences would be stifling for those who are required by law to report child abuse. That list of "mandated reporters" includes educators, physicians, nurses and other professionals who come in contact with children. Otto Fajen, a lobbyist for the Missouri chapter of the National Education Association, said the bill, as written, could stifle the ability of teachers and counselors to speak candidly to teens about sexual activity. Fajen said that by forcing teachers to always report sexual activity as abuse, the law removes sound professional judgment of what constitutes abuse.

While it may not discourage actual abuse, it would certainly discourage teenagers with questions from asking someone who could answer them. As Julie Saltman observes:

No one but professionals learn the actual rules, and people base how honest and forthcoming they are on popular perceptions of what the rules say. So as soon as teens under 17 (that is the age of consent in MO, not 15) who admit to having sex start getting turned in as a child abusers by their doctors, teachers, etc., young people, who are often most in need of medical and psychological guidance in these matters, will just start to lie about their sexual history when asked. You can see how this will really bind the hands of healthcare professionals, for example. As always, if the GOP really cared about curbing teenage pregnancy and STD transmission, they would never let such bills breeze through the legislature. If their goal were to stifle sexuality and legislate their own morals, well, you get the idea...If convicted of "child abuse," teens who engage in consensual sex will probably have to register with the sex offender database.