Epidemic: How Teen Sex Is Killing Our Kids

Rating:
Summary: A must read for concerned parents
Review: Dr. Meeker has written a very informative yet alarming book on the realities of teens having sex even with multiple partners. She uses real life stories to exemplify her primary point that teens who choose to have sex and most likely with multiple partners will contract at least one STD. Dr. Meeker titles her book "Epidemic..." because teens all across the United States are contracting STD's at an alarming rate. Dr. Meeker states, "An epidemic occurs when...there is an extensive and growing prevalence of a disease that attacks many people simultaneously." Dr. Meeker's book is chalked full of current statistics and well documented endnotes that gives reliable and necessary support of her claim that there is an epidemic among teens.

Furthermore, this book is not solely about STDs but about the greater issue of sexual freedom. Dr. Meeker claims, and I agree with, that the primary problem among our teens is that they are taught that it is reasonable to pursue sex in any and all forms which include intercourse, oral, anal, and mutual masturbation. And the means by which teens are 'taught' about sex and its acceptance especially at such an early age, is through the media, advertisements of all sorts, music lyrics and videos, movies, television sitcoms, as well as the 'modeled' behavior of ones parents or guardians. Since morality and personal ethics regarding the value of sex have dropped to a level of cheapness in our country, it is little wonder why teens experiment and engage in various sexual acts, and in turn contract STDs.

This book is written from a conservative perspective in which sexual freedom among teens should not endorsed but inappropriate for them to embrace. Teens should not be given freedom by their parent(s) and society to choose to have sex with whoever, wherever, and in any form as one desires. Teens are treated as if they are mature adults who can and will make wise decisions. The truth of the matter is that teens are not adults and are not mature enough to make decisions that have their best interests in mind, especially long term interests. The proof is in the documented evidence. Not only are teens contracting STDs, they are also filled with emotional, psychological, and religious grief.

Dr. Meeker shares beneficial ways by which parents can assist their teens to make wise decisions for a positive sexual future, primarily to having sex with a single partner, hopefully a new spouse. For it is caring and educated parents that can have the greatest influence.

The overall goal of this book is not just to inform parents about STD's through graphic stories and alarming statistics, but to empower parents to dare to care for their teens lives. As Dr. Meeker's experience and research shows, there is an epidemic among our teens. Unless parents take an active interest in their teens' lives, their teens' future and their children's future will be very bleak.

Rating:
Summary: Straight talk our children deserve to hear
Review: 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.


Rating:
Summary: Horrible book, would give it a 0 if i could
Review: I agree with other reviewers about Meeker's many fallacies in this book, as well as a few other problems:
She completely contradicts herself throughout the book... Way too many to list...She also repeatedly makes blatant homophobic comments, and attempts to defend it at one point with a completely unrelated retort. She puts words in several diffrent peoples' mouth, in one part, claiming people who give their teens condoms don't care about them, and she acts as if every parent that does this doesn't even talk to their teens about sex.
It is common sense that you spend more time talking to your child and giving them self confidence, and never shy-away from sex discussions, and even sometimes insist on these discussions... my mother did ALL of this, and I still had sex way too young! It is human nature, some teens are going to have sex no matter what the parent(s) do. This does not mean you should not try at all to make them see that they should wait, which is what Meeker conveys people do if they give their teens condoms. It is so ironic too that she is so attacking to such parents when she directly states that she gives up on her teen patients after six months if they continue to have sex. She tells them they have to find another doctor!!!! She is one of the biggest contributors to the problems that she spends her book preaching about!
Meeker has good intentions, and has valid arguments that teenagers get the wrong idea from television and magazines, and how they portray the role of men and women in such instances, but her approach and her writing in general is extremely sensationalized.
Her approaches as a medical doctor scare me just as much.

Rating:
Summary: Good read
Review: I really enjoyed this book. This book does contain some of Meeker's opinion but it also contains many footnotes from studies and what not. It is well documented and the footnotes I have followed back to the source are correct. As some of the other reviewer noted the numbers are staggering sober. I hope people can realize that sex is killing our kids and nation.

Rating:
Summary: A MUST read for ALL parents and teens
Review: I'm a nurse with five children, three of them teens. I stay informed. I am involved in many teens lives. I thought I knew what was going on, until I read this book and heard Dr. Meeker speak. I was shocked.

Dr. Meeker is blunt without being rude. She is angry that no one seems to be talking about the epidemic of STDs in our teenagers. She is angry that even though we now KNOW differently, the lie of "safe sex" is still perpetuated--it is even taught by government sponsored sex education programs. NO ONE seems to be telling our children what they need to know. So, Dr. Meeker is trying to do so, and we should all be listening.

Even those who chose to practice abstinense will be affected by the current epidemic, because it is so wide-spread that even one encounter is likely to infect a teen with incurable diseases that might then infect a future spouse.

This book is a MUST read for anyone who cares about teenagers.

Rating:
Summary: How Teen Sex Is Killing Our Kids
Review: If all the teenagers in the world read this book, there would have been a sea change in their attitude towards their no-holds-barred sexual revolution. Earlier there were only two diseases syphilis and gonorrhoea and now there is more than a 100 and they are increasing at an extremely fearful pace. Many of these have no remedies so far and the people getting killed by these diseases are increasing on a daily basis.

The author mentioned, in an interview, what helped to complete the book. Kicking the coffee habit. Said drinking it clouded creativity. I agree too, and stopped completely a few weeks ago, with the help of a coffee replacement. It's called s o y f e e and I simply love it. Made from s o y that you brew just like coffee. I even like it better than the real stuff. Look for it at www.s oycoffee.com.

Rating:
Summary: A MUST READ FOR ALL PARENTS AND EDUCATORS!
Review: Many people know that sex affects our lives in SOME way and that there are consequnces. What I believe we don't know is the extensiveness of that consequence. Meeker provides astonishing facts and personal stories to make people understand how teen sex is affecting our children. She says time and time again that it is the duty of parents and educators to know the REAL facts about teen sex and STD's in order to pass this information on to our children. Once I started the book, I could not put it down. I learned so many new things about teen sex and STD's. I feel everyone should read this book in order to receive a reality check about sex and the consequnces it has.

Rating:
Summary: Good read
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Epidemic: How Teen Sex is Killing Our Kids
Review: This is a well-researched, well-written, and very important book that should be read by every parent, especially those who don't think that their kids are having sex...Read this book and try to protect your kids. Indeed, read it and protect yourself...Dr. Meeker has provided a great public service by writing this book and warning America's parents.