''Harmful to Minors: The Perils of Protecting Children From Sex'' ( ardcover aperback is a 2002 book by Judith Levine. The foreword was written by former

United States Surgeon General The surgeon general of the United States is the operational head of the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC) and thus the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the federal government of the United States. Th ...

Joycelyn Elders Minnie Joycelyn Elders (born Minnie Lee Jones; August 13, 1933) is an American pediatrician and public health administrator who served as Surgeon General of the United States from 1993 to 1994. A vice admiral in the Public Health Service Commiss ...

, who

resigned Resignation is the formal act of leaving or quitting one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or choos ...

after suggesting that masturbation be destigmatized as a means of preventing young people from engaging in riskier forms of sexual activity. The "Author's Note" states: "Most of the research for this book, including interviews, was conducted between 1996 and early 2000, and pertinent statistics were updated in 2001. The names of all nonprofessionals have been fictionalized, along with some identifying characteristics." In the book, Levine discusses United States laws concerning

child pornography Child pornography (also called CP, child sexual abuse material, CSAM, child porn, or kiddie porn) is pornography that unlawfully exploits children for sexual stimulation. It may be produced with the direct involvement or sexual assault of a ...

statutory rape In common law jurisdictions, statutory rape is nonforcible sexual activity in which one of the individuals is below the age of consent (the age required to legally consent to the behavior). Although it usually refers to adults engaging in sexual ...

, and

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pre ...

for minors using a variety of studies and interviews with teenagers and adults alike (see Acknowledgments). Levine also analyzes

abstinence-only sex education Abstinence-only sex education is a form of sex education that teaches not having sex outside of marriage. It often excludes other types of sexual and reproductive health education, such as birth control and safe sex. Comprehensive sex education ...

, which Levine considers counter-productive and dangerous. The book also examines the terms "harmful to minors" and "indecency," which Levine considers to be umbrella terms for censorship, as well as the '' Dylan v. Heather'' case, and the little-known Support Program for Abusive Reactive Kids (SPARK) and Sexual Treatment Education Program and Services (STEP). 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 The University of Minnesota Press is a university press that is part of the University of Minnesota. It had annual revenues of just over $8 million in fiscal year 2018. Founded in 1925, the University of Minnesota Press is best known for its boo ...

eventually agreed to publish the book, despite cries of outrage from the right wing of Minnesota's political establishment. The book won the 2002 ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'' Book Award for Current Interest. In 2003,

Thunder's Mouth Press Perseus Books Group was an American publishing company founded in 1996 by investor Frank Pearl. Perseus acquired the trade publishing division of Addison-Wesley (including the Merloyd Lawrence imprint) in 1997. It was named Publisher of the Y ...

released a trade paperback edition of the book, which includes a new afterword by Levine which details the public response to the book.

References

External links

Official webpage
(from University of Minnesota Press).

(with Doug Henwood – links to

MP3 MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...

and streaming audio).
"The Taboos of Touch"
by Debbie Nathan, ''

AlterNet AlterNet is a left-leaning online news outlet. It was launched in 1997 by the Independent Media Institute. In 2018, the website was acquired by owners of '' Raw Story''. Coverage Coverage is divided into several special sections related to progr ...

'', 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 Concerned Women for America (CWA) is a socially conservative, evangelical Christian Nonprofit organization, non-profit women's 501(c)_organization#501(c)(4), legislative action committee in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., W ...

'', March 28, 2002.
"Response to Judith Levine's ''Harmful to Minors''"
by S. Michael Craven, ''National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families''.
Harmful To Minors (book review)
by Deborah Roffman, Psychology Today, August 1, 2002
Parents: Hello boys
by Marina Cantacuzino, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', April 17, 2002. 2002 non-fiction books Books about censorship Sexuality and age Juvenile sexuality in books University of Minnesota Press books {{sex-book-stub ca:Harmful to Minors