Edward O. Shakespeare

Sex and Consequences: a Bioethical Guide for Youth and Parents and Teachers Edward O. Shakespeare

Several decades in preparation, Sex and Consequences has been read approvingly by educators, parents, and-most recently-a published pediatrician/psychologist.* It is neither a pick-and-choose encyclopedic approach nor a "how-to" book. It is a thoughtfully, caringly developed bioethical guide to responsible sexual behavior in the broader context of ethical social behavior toward life fulfillment. Respectful of the idealistic call for abstinence, it realistically examines other models. It is consistent with the guidelines of former Surgeon General David Satcher's 2001 report on sex education, suppressed by the current administration. Young people want guidance in this part of their lives as in other areas. They want openness, honesty, full information, and-above all-an appraisal of consequences, whether desirable or undesirable. This book, then, is an attempt at an ethically realistic approach to biologically oriented sex education, thus to promote trustful and healthy lives. It is intended as much for parents, guidance counselors, and teachers as it is for young readers age eleven into adulthood. *The following comment is by permission of William B. Carey, M. D., author of Understanding Your Child's Temperament, Macmillan, Inc, 1997, revised edition 2005: "An excellent presentation. Don't you wish we had it years ago? Congratulations!"