Solving America's sexual crises

by Ira L. Reiss

On the eve of the twenty-first century, America finds itself in the midst of another sexual revolution involving the "pluralization" of our sexual morality and the acceptance of a much wider range of sexuality than ever before. But the forces of the past, stressing the dogmatic "one size fits all" approach, are far from dead. Despite recent advances, the United States remains the nation with the highest rates in the Western world of virtually every sexual problem, including rape, AIDS, teenage pregnancy, and child sexual abuse. Solving America's Sexual Crises can help us all avoid becoming casualities in the sexual wars still being waged and can also aid us in achieving more of the rewards possible in our sexual lives. Riess promotes, as the sexual ethic needed now and for the coming century, a pluralistic approach based on the principles of honesty, equality, and responsibility, and he spells out what societal changes are needed to achieve this.