Harmful to Minors
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Harmful to Minors: The Perils of Protecting Children From Sex (ISBN 0-8166-4006-8) is a controversial book by Judith Levine that was published in 2002 with a foreword by former United States Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders.
In the book, Levine lambasts US laws concerning child pornography, statutory rape, and abortion for minors. It also analyzes abstinence-only sex education, which Levine considers counter-productive and dangerous.
Because of its controversial nature and content, it was nearly impossible for Levine to find a publisher — one prospective publisher even called it "radioactive." University of Minnesota Press eventually agreed to publish the book, despite cries of outrage from the right wing of Minnesota's political establishment.
It became famous after it won the 2002 Los Angeles Times Book Award for Current Interest. Conservatives such as Joe Scarborough and Robert Knight accused Levine of promoting pedophilia for her suggestion that the US adopt statutory rape laws similar to those in the Netherlands. Some demanded the book be removed from libraries.
[edit] External links
- Official webpage (from University of Minnesota Press)
- Radio interview about Harmful to Minors (with Doug Henwood – links to MP3 and streaming audio).
- "Burning a Book Before It's Printed" by Erik Möller, Kuro5hin, April 7, 2002. – Describes the reaction to the book by conservatives in the United States.
- "Not Harmful to Minors" by Walpurgis, Kuro5hin, May 11, 2002.
- "The Taboos of Touch" by Debbie Nathan, AlterNet, April 18, 2002. - A review of Harmful to Minors.
- "What Judith Levine is Really Saying" by Liz Highleyman, AlterNet, April 26, 2002.
- "Reject Academic Cover for Child Molesters, CFI says", Concerned Women for America, March 28, 2002.
- "Response to Judith Levine's Harmful to Minors" by S. Michael Craven, National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families.
