Ramesh – I liked this passage:

National surveys show that most Dutch parents accept that young people choose to have sex in committed relationships during their later teens. Research I conducted found that a majority of Dutch parents are even willing to permit such couples to spend the night together in their homes, but only when they see that they have formed a loving relationship, feel ready for sex and understand how to use contraception responsibly. By accepting teen sexuality within these parameters, Dutch parents can stay involved, monitor relationships and urge proper contraceptive use.

Translation: If only American parents would get over their hang-ups and let their teenage children knock the bedpost wall all night long under parental supervision, we’d be a much healhier society. Why not allow teens to shoot heroin at home too? That way parents can make sure the product is safe, the needles clean and all that.

Update: Ooooo angry readers!

“Why not allow teens to shoot heroin at home too?”
I like your logic. Let me give it a try. Jonah Goldberg is an
unthinking, paranoid, hyperbolic hack, but he gets accepted by
once-thoughtful publications like National Review and even by
mainstream outlets like the LA Times. Well, if we’re going to tolerate
his hackishness, we might as well condone him when he murders people,
right? This is the logic you’re using. Approve of A, then we must of
course approve of B, which is FAR worse than A.

No, this isn’t my logic. This is a hysterical misreading of my sarcasm. Although I’d in fact be surprised if there weren’t a non-trivial number of Dutch who actually agree with the logic of the heroin thing and let kids do drugs at home.

The other angry emails are too sophomoric and raunchy to post. But they amount to the argument that if you don’t allow your kids to have parent-sanctioned sex at home, they’ll just go out and get jiggy elsewhere. I understand the argument and I have no doubt that keeping kids on the straight and narrow is no small challenge. But, is it really so either/or? Surrender to “responsible” teen sex at home or tacitly accept that it will happen irresponsibly away from home? I don’t think so.