State Rep. John Ainsworth, R-Shawno, recently introduced an Assembly bill that would prohibit children under the age of 18 from buying or drinking alcoholic beverages under any circumstances.

The legislation would change the Wisconsin state law that allows parents to purchase alcohol for their children and for children to drink alcohol under parents’ supervision.

Ainsworth introduced the bill after hearing about an older man at a bar who pretended to be the father of a young girl and bought her drinks. Events later that night, which had a direct correlation to the girl’s substantial alcohol intake, resulted in the girl’s pregnancy.

Ainsworth expressed his concern about the ease with which these events happen and the dubious safety of these teenagers. Ainsworth said if someone begins drinking before the age of 13, that person has a 50 percent chance of becoming an alcoholic later in life.

“I feel it is simply ridiculous that in our society it is acceptable for children under 18 to be served alcohol,” Ainsworth said. “A constituent of mine told me a story about a five-year-old girl who became an alcoholic by the age of 13 and then struggled to recover and finally did so at the age of 28 years old. There is absolutely no point in parents allowing and encouraging that behavior.”

However, opposition to this bill has focused on the idea that it is a learning experience for parents and their children when they partake in such activities.

Mary Bolduc, mother of a University of Wisconsin student, said young people could learn healthy attitudes toward alcohol consumption by drinking with their parents occasionally.

“I would much rather that my child’s first experience with alcohol be with me and done in a responsible manner, instead of with irresponsible friends where there tend to be more dangers present,” Bolduc said.

Bolduc and others who oppose the bill feel it is the parents’ prerogative on how they raise their children, and the bill is an intrusion into their private lives.

“Where is the line drawn as far as when the government should be involved or not?” Bolduc said.

The bill has received much attention recently due to an amendment prohibiting parents from allowing their children to drink on their household premises, which has also raised questions about how far the government should intervene in family affairs.

While the bill has already had a hearing, no committee meetings have been granted. Ainsworth said it is too early to speculate on how much support the bill has.

However, he expressed confidence that if the bill had a committee vote by fall, legislators would find it hard to vote against it.