Epidemic: How Teen Sex is Killing Our Kids (Hardcover)

by Meg Meeker (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In this fact-filled but overheated report, pediatrician Meeker cites medical studies and her own clinical experience to argue that adolescent promiscuity has led to skyrocketing rates of sexually transmitted disease and increased depression and suicide among the young. Spicing up her statistics with obscene rap lyrics and lurid reports of teen orgies and the high school "craze" for oral sex, she blames the usual suspects: post-60s permissiveness, the misguided equating of condoms with safety and sexualized media imagery in, for example, Cosmopolitan and Ally McBeal. In opposition to a "conspiracy" of sex-ed "bureaucrats" to "maintain sexual freedoms rather than prevent disease," Meeker advocates teaching teens to "postpone sex as long as possible" and, when they don't, to reflower themselves as "secondary virgins." In the end her advice to parents boils down to the age-old injunction to talk to their kids, with tips ("ask how he felt when he saw sex in a television show") that make this awkward task not much easier. On the other hand, forcing teenagers to read her unsparing and truly alarming descriptions of the ravages of venereal disease should kill their mood for quite a while.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
Sexually transmitted diseases among teens has become a full blown epidemic a national emergency that's killing our kids. In this groundbreaking book Dr.Meeker uncovers the story of this serious epidemic and the pattern of political correctness and marketing hype that has caused this tidal wave of disease.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: LifeLine Press (October 25, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 089526143X
• ISBN-13: 978-0895261434
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #76,150 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #12 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Disorders & Diseases > Genitourinary & STDs
  #58 in	Books > Teens > Health, Mind & Body > Sexuality

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Facts or Political Correctness....you decide...., January 24, 2004

By	Ross Amico (Churchville, New York United States) - See all my reviews

Reading the reviews was interesting to say the least. Whether you are a parent or a teen, right or left you cannot fight against the facts. And what are the facts? As a health teacher for the last 24 years in a public high school in New York I can safely say that the information Mrs Meeker gives is in fact irrefutable. She is correct when she tells the reader that there is no such thing as "safe sex" unless it is with an uninfected partner and you remain monogamous for life "historically we called that relationship marriage". She is also correct when she tells us that condoms are next to worthless when it comes to STD's like HPV the number one STD in America that kill thousands of women every year in America not counting the thousands of early hysterectomys. It seems that the negative reviews come from people who do not want to be confused with the facts but simply want to call Mrs Meeker "names". Hurray for a refreshingly honest look at a difficult subject. She tells the reader how it is.

36 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Straight talk our children deserve to hear, November 24, 2004

By	William Muehlenberg (Melbourne Australia) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Epidemic may not be too strong of a word to describe the crisis in teen sexuality we face in the Western world. Although this volume describes the American scene, it would be true of most other Western nations as well. Young people have been sold a bill of goods regarding sexuality, and they are paying the penalty, big time.

Consider some of the statistics: In the US in 2002 up to one quarter of sexually active teens were living with a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Each year over 15 million Americans will contract a new STD. Around a fifth of these will be teenagers. Indeed, while teens make up just 10 percent of the population, they account for 25 per cent of all STDs.

The truth is, the sexual revolution of the 60s has unleashed an untamed monster. When I was growing up one seldom heard of venereal diseases, as they were then called. And there were really only two: syphilis and gonorrhoea. And they tended to be something people other than sailors and prostitutes never worried about. Today there are at least 50 STDs. And with multiple strains of mutating viruses, that actual number may be as high as 100.

Thus a whole new batch of STDs have emerged in line with the no-holds-barred sexual revolution. Chlamydia for example was not even identified until 1976. Thus we have a whole new vocabulary as part of our dictionaries, with disease like genital herpes, HPV, HIV, and a range of new viral infections.

And the problem is many of these diseases are at present incurable (like HIV) and many are asymptomatic (that is one often does not even know one has the infection). And many are quite infectious, easily spread, and hard to control. Herpes for example lives on the skin and is easily passed on.

While antibiotics can stop bacterial STDs (like chlamydia) they cannot stop viruses. And even the bacteria are hard to control, with many mutating into more devious germs, becoming resistant to antibiotics.

Doctor Meegan does not just warn against the physical dangers of casual sex. She also speaks to the emotional, psychological and social harms. The safe sex myth (just use a condom, etc) is not only physically harmful, as most contraceptives are far from foolproof, but the risks of a broken promise, a broken relationship, and a broken heart cannot be protected by the condom culture.

Dr Meeker reminds us that teens are especially vulnerable to negative emotional and psychological side effects due to early sexual activity. And that translates into an epidemic of teen depression and suicide. And the problem compounds itself. Depressed kids in turn are more likely to turn to sex, as many turn to drugs, to deal with their grief.

Losing one's virginity at an early age often leads to a loss in self respect and self worth. A loss of trust and expectation also is part of the downside. The innocence of childhood is ripped away and replaced with a premature burden of adulthood.

The truth is, the condom culture and the explosion in comprehensive sex education have not helped matters, but made them worse. We have never before had so much sex ed, and we have never before had so much teen sexuality, abortion and STDs. There seems to be a clear correlation between the two.

And a major missing ingredient in most sex ed courses is what teens really need to hear: how to say no to sexual pressure. Abstinence before marriage and faithfulness in marriage is the only guaranteed safe sex. Yet this message is seldom being taught to our young people. It certainly is not the message of popular culture.

Critics will simply shrug off this volume and accuse the author of scare mongering. But try telling that to a young person who is now permanently affected by an STD. Try telling that to a young girl whose future is in doubt because sexual experimentation has lead to an unwanted pregnancy. Try telling that to those who have become infertile due to promiscuous sexual activity.

The consequences of the sexual revolution are very real indeed. It is time we had some straight talk on the many dangers of, and downsides to, teenage sex. The good news is we are not animals and we can control our desires. But when all around us are telling our young people that they should just go for it, the message of sexual responsibility is easily drowned out. Thus the importance of this book.

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, the facts., March 25, 2004

By A Customer

As a teacher who works with both junior and senior high aged kids, I have longed for a book that tells the hard truth about teenaged sex. Finally, I have found it. This isn't just a book for parents, this is a book that kids should at least be exposed to. They deserve the truth that we have failed to give them. For too long we believed we were protecting them by giving them birth control and they believed us (as an establishment). Now we are just beginning to glimpse the true scope of the problem that will face us over the next 5-20 years and beyond if this situation isn't addressed and reversed. I encourage parents and teachers who want facts that will stand up and speak for themselves without being preachy - get this book. Read it. Pass it on to your friends, talk about it with your kids and your students, carry it with you on the subway.
Are the numbers harsh, do the stories turn your stomach? Yes, this book is not a 'fun' read. And good for Meg Meeker.