Harmful to Minors

Harmful to Minors: The Perils of Protecting Children From Sex (ISBN 0816640068) is a 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 Los Angeles Times Book Award. Conservatives such as Joe Scarborough and Robert Knight inaccurately 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.

External links

• Official University of Minnesota Press webpage
• Burning a Book Before It's Printed by Erik Möller, published at Kuro5hin, April 7, 2002. Describes the reaction to the book by conservatives in the United States.
• Not Harmful to Minors by "Walpurgis", published at Kuro5hin, May 11, 2002. Review of the book.