Personal Irresponsibility

Published January 4, 2013

A Wisconsin man who can’t pay almost $100,000 in overdue child support and interest for the nine children he fathered has been sentenced to probation and ordered not to have any more kids until he can support all of them.

The man fathered the children with six women and pled guilty to charges of bail jumping, a felony, and failure to pay child support, a misdemeanor. He was sentenced to three years’ probation on the condition he not procreate. “Common sense dictates you shouldn’t have kids you can’t afford,” the judge said. “It’s too bad the court doesn’t have the authority to sterilize.”

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled such sentences are legal because the ability to procreate is not permanently barred.

Source: Kristen Zambo, “Deadbeat dad sentenced to probation, ordered not to procreate,” The Journal Times (Racine, WI), December 3, 2012 h/t jonathanturley.org