No Bull Mom

Unprotected, by Miriam Grossman

Another problem on our college campuses is casual sex. According to the Wikipedia, casual sex refers to one-time encounters, promiscuity, or to sex in the absence of emotional attachment or love.

In my day, the phrase casual sex wasn't bantered about in any kind of political way. "Hooking up," the more modern phrase people use to describe sex with strangers or casual acquaintances, didn't exist either. But that doesn't mean people didn't do it. Young people have been having stupid sex (I call it stupid sex) for decades -- but it wasn't nearly as prevalent as it is today.

The truth is, it has taken all this time for the countercultural revolution of the sixties to do its damage. I can't possibly take on the enormity of this issue in a blog, but suffice it to say the idea of "free love" has not only been disastrous, it's a misnomer. Free sex, or free love, is anything but free. The physical consequences of casual sex -- in the form of STDs and abortion -- along with the emotional ramifications for women, are staggering. Yet you won't hear about any of this in mainstream society. Casual sex has been normalized to such a degree that speaking out against it smacks of prudishness. It just isn't done.

Indeed, it took Dr. Miriam Grossman, a former campus psychiatrist at UCLA, years to come out of the closet. The first publication of her book Unprotected, A Campus Psychiatrist Reveals How Political Correctness in Her Profession Endangers Every Student was anonymous -- and in the second edition, in which her real name is used, she explains the reason for having been anonymous. The reason for her book is simple: "The message must get out: Casual sex is a health hazard for young women."

Just getting Ms. Grossman's book published was a feat (I can vouch for why that would have been the case!), as her book's message goes counter to the prevailing orthodoxy. But Ms. Grossman could remain silent no more. After years of counseling girls through the heartache, angst, confusion, and physical repercussions of their sexual lives, she had to do something.

"Radical politics pervades my profession, and common sense has vanished. Not long ago, a psychiatrist might call sexual activity "mindless" and "empty." Before political correctness muzzled our nation, a campus physician might have advised a student that it is love and lifelong fidelity that bring joy and liberated sensuality, and provide the best insurance against STDs. It was clear that liaisons outside a committed relationship could be hazardous. Self-restraint built character, and character was something to strive for.

Things have changed. Now young people are advised to use latex and have a limited number of partners. There is tacit approval of promiscuity and experimentation. Infection can be a rite of passage; it comes with the territory. Young women think motherhood can be delayed indefinitely.

These changes are all a result of social agendas foisted on the campus community, and in my work I see the consequences daily. My profession has been hijacked. I cannot do my job, my patients are suffering, and I am fed up."

Miriam Grossman is a brave woman, and an engaging speaker. I met her last year at a conference, where I bought her book -- and I cannot recommend this book enough to any parent who still has children at home. (If you wait till they're in college it may be too late.)

This week has been a study of college campuses. It makes one wonder, Why attend college at all? While that may be too strong a response, there are alternatives. One may be going back to the way college was utilized in the past -- when college was a privilege for those who were willing to work their way through it; when going to an elite school wasn't the goal (state schools are still very affordable, contrary to popular opinion); and when working and living in an apartment while going to college was the norm. This would certainly keep young people at bay from radical politics.

Whatever you choose, you need to warn your kids about what's ahead. Your influence matters. Oh, and give them Dr. Grossman's book.