It seems like every week now the Boy Scouts of America are in and out of the news for a new controversy, and this week was no exception.
On Tuesday, reports began circulating that the organization will be passing out condoms at their upcoming World Scout Jamboree.
According to The Washington Times, the World Organization of Scouting Movement handbook states that the organization must “ensure that condoms are readily and easily accessible for all participants and [International Service Team staff] at a number of locations on the site.”
The Daily Mail noted that the “condom mandate was actually made in 2016, following the 2015 World Jamboree in Japan.”
The condom rule can be found in their 2016 handbook, when the World Scout Committee decided that condoms must be provided to scouts and that “consideration…be given to the various cultures and beliefs present.”
This means that although the rule was made in 2016, it was made after their last World Scout Jamboree in 2015, making 2019 the first year of its implementation.
The upcoming World Scout Jamboree will take place in 2019 from July 21 to August 1 in West Virginia, with the theme “Unlock a New World.”
The World Jamboree is a celebration that includes three national scout organizations including, Scouts Canada, Sociación de Scouts de México and the Boy Scouts of America.
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The World Scout Jamboree includes both boys and girls, each making up half of the attendance. Alcohol will also be available for adults, but no drugs are allowed on the premise.
Andy Chapman, the vice chairperson of the World Scout Committee, explained that the various co-hosts are working hard right now to implement all new requirements put in place by the World Organization of the Scout Movement.
“The World Scout Jamboree organizing team has worked with the co-host countries to align these requirements, which have been in place for the past two World Scout Jamborees, in a manner that is respectful to local laws and preferences,” Mr. Chapman said in a statement.
(H/T: The Washington Times)