Another Favourite Singaporean Law

Following on from:
- Word or gesture intended to insult the modesty of a woman
- Obscene Songs and
- Act caused by inducing a person to believe that he will be rendered an object of divine displeasure, here's another delicious Singaporean Law:

Indecent Advertisements Act (CHAPTER 135)
Section 7: Advertisements as to syphilis, etc., declared indecent

7.—(1) Any advertisement relating to venereal disease, nervous debility, or other complaint or infirmity arising from or relating to sexual intercourse, and any advertisement claiming for any preparation aphrodisiac properties, shall be deemed to be printed or written matter of an indecent nature within the meaning of section 5, if such advertisement is published to the public by any means or is affixed to or inscribed on any house, building, wall, hoarding, gate, fence, pillar, post, board, tree or other thing whatsoever, so as to be visible to a person being in or passing along any public place, public road or footpath, or is affixed to or inscribed on any public urinal, or is delivered or attempted to be delivered to any person being in or passing along any public place, public road or footpath.

(2) Nothing in this section shall apply to any advertisement relating to venereal disease published by or with the authority of the Government or by any local or public authority.


In other words, if you put up a poster educating people about sexually transmitted diseases/sexually transmitted infections, it is considered indecent, sanctionable by "a fine not exceeding $100 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one month or to both".

Oh, and it's a seizable offence too (you can be arrested without a warrant).

Incidentally, according to gay activists Section 377A of the Penal Code, by criminalising homosexuality, stymies AIDS and STD prevention efforts because it means you cannot talk in public about an illegal activity blah blah.

Apparently they don't know about this law, whose implications for AIDS and STD prevention are a lot more serious.

(happily, non-activists know that this law is as impotent and relevant to everyday life as 377A)


Keywords: poster, STI, STD, posters, AIDS, illegal, public education, Action for AIDS, public health, sexual education