Safer Sex: The New Morality, Evelyn Lerman, Buena Park, CA: Morning Glory Press, 2000. 240 pages, softcover, $ 14.95, hardcover, $ 21.95.
Prevention rather than intervention is the 'buzz word' for the book Safer Sex: The New Morality, which advocates the adoption of new attitudes regarding sexual education and activity among American youth. The author, Evelyn Lerman, participated in the 1998 European study tour to the Netherlands, Germany, and France that explored their management of teen sexuality issues. The trip was sponsored by Advocates for Youth (Washington DC) and the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. Safer Sex: The New Morality examines and discusses differences and outcomes between the American and European models with respect to selected indices of teen births, abortions, HIV/AIDS rates, and the average age at initiation of sexual intercourse. The book aims to re-educate the adult community at large regarding teen sexuality issues and would be of particular interest to adult parents, those working with teenagers and teen parents, those in public health, the clergy, health professions, and education, counseling, social work, law, and public policy making bodies.
The book begins with selected readers' quoted reactions to the manuscript, followed by interviewees' historical perspectives on each of the twentieth century's decades. Topics covered in the book include family values, parental and religion's roles in teenage sexuality, the media's influence, sexual education, sexual orientation, contraception, HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections (STI's), teen pregnancy, and abortion. The final chapter, "You Can Help-Ten Points of Action," provides guidelines for what individuals and/or group member can accomplish with respect to: (1) the need to alleviate poverty; (2) parents and other mentors; (3) the media; (4) general education; (5) sexuality education; (6) religion; (7) family planning clinics; (8) peer pressure; (9) youth development programs and (10) government policy. The Appendices include Research Citations, a current Bibliography offering books, curricula reports, articles, booklets and miscellaneous items followed by the Index. The few tables in the book highlight the book's core issues, which are (1) comparing statistics for France, Germany, the Netherlands and the U.S. on teen births, abortions, HIV/AIDS rates, and the average age at initiation of sexual intercourse; and (2) contrasting sexuality education between Europe and the United States according to different variables while comparing programs within the United States.
An introductory poem sets the tone for the book. Relevant interviewee's quotations begin each of the book's fourteen chapters and the topic is then developed and adequately covered. Features within the book include recommended Web sites, various resources, programs, curricula, and cited research reports. While there are no pictures or figures in the book, the author uses dialogues, quoted discussions, and interviews throughout the book to support and enhance the subject matter. Bolded headings introduce subtopics, while delineated points, question lists, presented facts, and italicized statements are used effectively for emphasis and add interest to the reading. The repetition of issues and their statistics throughout the book advances the argument for needed change.
Lerman raises questions, gives tips, answers, and direction, and provides straight and clear writing on controversial and sensitive topics. Fostering the health, well-being, and safety of America's youth is the author's primary objective. In order to realize this goal, she presents compelling arguments, supported with statistics and successful outcomes, for change in American attitudes and policies in the direction of the European model promoting preventive measures as opposed to intervention services. Safer Sex: The New Morality offers a better way and "makes recommendations promoting a new morality based on sexual respect, responsibility and rights on the part of teens as well as the adults who must set an example for them" (p 12). And so we, the adult community, need to rethink our present direction, become advocates for and help implement necessary changes in our society.