Unprotected: A Review

I just finished reading Unprotected: A Campus Psychiatrist Reveals How Political Correctness in Her Profession Endangers Every Student. I think it is an excellent book. Because it discusses very serious issues, I admit I had trouble reading parts of it. The author, Dr. Miriam Grossman, goes into great detail on abortion, HIV and other STDs. She is not shy about the disturbing and rampant promiscuity that is found on college campuses today - and reading about it was uncomfortable, at best. And it's not just on campus either; the lifestyle has permeated our society. Matt and I joke about the fact that we've never seen an episode of Grey's Anatomy, but we know that it's about a lot of doctors who have a lot of sex with lots of other people. We may be wrong, but that's all we can get from the commercials. And the fact that that's primetime entertainment is, well, frightening.

Among the topics she discusses are:

• The complete lack of acknowledgement of religion when it comes to therapy and treatment,
• The blatant parenthood prevention that is carried out by groups that hide behind "family planning" names (i.e. Planned Parenthood, et al); they are really good at preventing parenthood, not so good at planning it.
• The shock that older women encounter when they are told that they cannot have children because they waited too long.
• The disdain for any suggestion that an abortion might have negative emotional consequences for the mother and father;
• The misinformation that exists around STDs and HIV, why they are caused, their lasting effects, how they can be prevented (duh, they are diseases acquired specifically through behavior) and the significant physical and emotion damage they cause.

Her call to speak out and actually present young men and women with the hard truths about the choices they make when it comes to intimacy, their biological clocks, etc is a clarion call to action. Now that I have finished reading it, I am even more grateful that I was taught abstinence before marriage and full fidelity after marriage and that I held true to that instruction. Nothing gives me more piece of mind and, yes, FREEDOM, in knowing that I am safe from the horrors of incurable disease, unwanted pregnancy, emotional emptiness, and other unspeakable consequences.

It's a great read, but be warned; it's a very sobering one.