TAKING SIDES: Clashing Views in Human Sexuality, Tenth Edition
Unit 1 The Nature of Sex
Issue 1. Can Sex Be Addictive? New! YES: Patrick J. Carnes, from "Sexual Addiction Q & A," http://www.sexhelp.com/sa_q_and_a.cfm (November 11, 2006) New! NO: Lawrence A. Siegel and Richard M. Siegel, from "Sex Addiction: Recovering From a Shady Concept," An Original Essay Written for This Volume (2006)
Patrick J. Carnes, considered by many to be an expert on sexual addiction, answers some common questions about this phenomenon, as featured on the Web site http://www.sexhelp.com. Carnes discusses the nature of sexual addiction, including ways in which it might be manifested, and offers for treatment. Sex therapist Lawrence A. Siegel and sex therapist/educator Richard M. Siegel counter that sexual addiction is grounded in “moralistic ideology masquerading as science.” They argue that while some sexual behaviors may be dysfunctional, the term “sexual addiction” pathologizes many common forms of sexual expression that are not problematic.
Issue 2. Is Oral Sex Really Sex? YES: Rhonda Chittenden, from "Oral Sex Is Sex: Ten Messages About Oral Sex to Communicate to Adolescents," Sexing the Political (May 2004) NO: Nora Gelperin, from "Oral Sex and Young Adolescents: Insights from the 'Oral Sex Lady'," Educator's Update (September 2004)
Sexuality educator Rhonda Chittenden says that it is important for young people to expand their narrow definitions of sex and understand that oral sex is sex. Chittenden offers additional educational messages about oral sex. Sexuality trainer Nora Gelperin argues that adult definitions of oral sex are out of touch with the meaning the behavior holds for young people. Rather than impose adult definitions of intimacy, educators should be seeking to help young people clarify and understand their own values.
Issue 3. Is Masters and Johnson’s Model an Accurate Description of Sexual Response? YES: Stephanie Ann Sanders, from "Physiology of Sex," Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia (2004) NO: Paul Joannides, from "The HSRC--Is Everything Better in Black & White?" An Original Essay Written for this Volume (2004)
Stephanie Ann Sanders, a director and scientist with the Kinsey Institute and a contributing author to the Encarta Online Encyclopedia, summarizes Masters and Johnson’s Human Sexual Response Cycle. Paul Joannides, author of the popular book The Guide to Getting It On!, says that the Human Sexual Response Cycle is a “one-size-fits-all” model that does not account for individual variations.
Issue 4. Is the G Spot a Myth? YES: Terence M. Hines, from "The G-Spot: A Modern Gynecologic Myth," American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (August 2001) New! NO: Beverly Whipple, from "Beyond the G Spot: New Research on Human Female Sexual Anatomy and Physiology," Scandinavian Journal of Sexology (2000, and updated commentary, 2006)
Psychologist Terence M. Hines says that the widespread acceptance of the G Spot as real conflicts with available research. Hines explains that the existence of the G Spot has never been verified by empirical, objective means and that women may have been misinformed about their bodies and their sexuality. Sexuality researcher Beverly Whipple outlines historical and interdisciplinary research that has been conducted on female sexual response over the past 20 years, particularly on the anatomy and neurophysiology of the sensitive area known as the G Spot, which surrounds the urethra and is felt through the anterior vaginal wall.
Issue 5. Is the Testosterone Patch the Right Cure for Low Libido in Women? YES: Carolyn Susman, from "Look Who's Smiling Now: A New Patch Delivers to Menopausal Woman a Dose of What the Guys Have: Sex-Drive-Revving Testosterone," Palm Beach Post (October 30, 2004) NO: Iver Juster, Gary Schubach, and Patricia Taylor, from "Testosterone Patches--The Cure for Low Female Sexual Desire?" http://www.Doctorg.com/intrinsa.htm (2002)
Columnist Carolyn Susman comments favorably on Intrinsa, a testosterone patch intended to treat low female desire in women. Susman outlines research findings that say the patch could improve sexual desire in women. Iver Juster, a family practitioner, Gary Schubach, a sex researcher and educator, and Patricia Taylor, a sex researcher and sexual enhancement coach, reject the idea that female sexual desire is hormonally driven, and say that the testosterone patch should not be regarded as a cure-all. Unit 2 Sex and Schools
Issue 6. Does the Availability of “Sexual Health Services” Make Some College Campuses Healthier than Others? New! YES: David M. Hall, from “The Positive Impact of Sexual Health Services on College Campuses,” An Original Essay Written for This Volume (2007) New! NO: Jens Alan Dana, from "A Different Sort of Measure," An Original Essay Written for This Volume (2006)
David M. Hall, a graduate professor of human sexuality at Widener University, outlines and comments favorably on the “Sexual Health Report Card,” a ranking of 100 universities in the United States by Trojan Condoms. Dr. Hall describes the various sexual health indicators for college campuses, as measured by the report, and argues for better sexuality education programs. Jens Alan Dana, a student and school newspaper editor at Brigham Young University, which was ranked lowest in the Trojan survey, argues that the rankings were unscientific, and based on a subjective set of criteria that were self-serving to Trojan’s interests in marketing condoms.
Issue 7. Should Sex Ed Teach about Abstinence? New! YES: William J. Taverner, from "Reclaiming Abstinence in Comprehensive Sex Education," Contemporary Sexuality (2007) New! NO: Maureen Kelly, from "The Semantics of Sex Ed: Or, Shooting Ourselves in the Foot as We Slowly Walk Backwards," Educator’s Update (2005)
William J. Taverner, sexuality educator and editor of Taking Sides, argues that sexuality education should teach about abstinence, and introduces a new model to replace problematic abstinence education models of the past. Sexuality educator Maureen Kelly argues that argues that the framing of abstinence by conservatives has essentially made the term politically volatile, and that the one-size-fits-all definition has rendered the term useless to educators.
Issue 8. Should Children Have an HPV Vaccination before They Enroll in School? New! YES: Cynthia Dailard, from "The Public Health Promise and Potential Pitfalls of the World's First Cervical Cancer Vaccine," The Guttmacher Report on Public Policy (Winter 2006) New! NO: Roni Rabin, from "A New Vaccine for Girls, but Should It Be Compulsory?" The New York Times (July 18, 2006)
Cynthia Dailard, a senior public policy associate for the Alan Guttmacher Institute, outlines the potential for a new vaccination to prevent the spread of the human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection that causes genital warts and most cases of cervical cancer. Dailard explains and summarizes the views of experts who believe that widespread vaccinations of preadolescent girls will dramatically reduce the incidence of HPV in the United States and abroad, especially in developing nations. New York Times columnist Roni Rabin acknowledges the potential for the HPV vaccination, but contends that cervical cancer can be staved off more economically by encouraging girls and women to have routine Pap smears.
Issue 9. Do Schools Perpetuate a Gender Bias? YES: Janice Weinman, from "Girls Still Face Barriers in Schools That Prevent Them from Reaching Their Full Potential," Insight on the News (December 14, 1998) NO: Judith Kleinfeld, from "In Fact, the Public Schools Are Biased Against Boys, Particularly Minority Males," Insight on the News (December 14, 1998)
Janice Weinman, executive director of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), states that, while there has been some progress since the AAUW published its study entitled How Schools Shortchange Girls in 1991, its 1998 review of 1,000 research studies entitled Gender Gaps: Where Schools Still Fail Our Children found that girls still face a gender gap in math, science, and computer science. Psychologist and author Judith Kleinfeld argues that despite appearances, girls still have an advantage over boys in terms of their future plans, teachers’ expectations, and everyday school experiences. Furthermore, minority males in particular are at a disadvantage educationally. Unit 3 Reproduction Technology
Issue 10. Should Parents Be Allowed to Select the Sex of Their Baby? New! YES: John A. Robertson, from "Extending Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis: Medical and Non-Medical Uses," Journal of Medical Ethics (vol. 29, 2003) New! NO: Marcy Darnovsky, from "Revisiting Sex Selection: The Growing Popularity of New Sex Selection Methods Revives an Old Debate," http://www.gene-watch.org/genewatch/articles/17-1darnovsky.html (January/February 2004)
Law professor John A. Robertson argues that preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), a new technique that allows parents-to-be to determine the gender of their embryo before implantation in the uterus, should be permissible. Robertson argues that it is not sexist to want a baby of a particular gender, and that the practice should not be restricted. Marcy Darnovsky, associate director of the Center for Genetics and Society, argues that by allowing PGD for sex selection, governments are starting down a slippery slope that could create an era of consumer eugenics.
Issue 11. Should Emergency Contraception Be Available over the Counter? YES: Jane E. Brody, from "The Politics of Emergency Contraception," The New York Times Magazine (August 24, 2004) NO: United States Food and Drug Administration, from "FDA's Decision Regarding Plan B: Questions and Answers," www.fda.gov/cder/drug/omfopage/planB/planBQandA.htm (2004)
New York Times columnist Jane E. Brody believes that politics, not science, drove the FDA’s decision not to allow emergency contraception to be made available over the counter. The Food and Drug Administration, responsible for regulating all drugs dispensed in the United States, says that its decision was not political, and that it would reconsider its decision if presented with evidence that girls under age 16 could take it safely without parental supervision.
Issue 12. Should Federal Funding of Stem Cell Research Be Restricted? YES: George W. Bush, from "Remarks by the President on Stem Cell Research," (August 9, 2001) NO: Douglas F. Munch, from "Why Expanded Stem Cell Research and Less Federal Government," An Original Essay Written for This Volume (2002)
President George W. Bush explains his decision to permit limited federal funding of embryonic stem cell research for the purpose of seeking treatments for serious diseases. Douglas F. Munch, a management consultant to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, criticizes President Bush’s decision for not fully reflecting the will of the people and for being too restrictive to have any meaningful impact on medical science and the lives of people affected by serious diseases. Unit 4 Sex and Society
Issue 13. Should Same Sex-Marriage Be Legal? YES: Human Rights Campaign, from "Answers to Questions about Marriage Equality," (Human Rights Campaign, 2004) NO: John Cornyn, from "In Defense of Marriage," National Review (July 2004)
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), America’s largest gay and lesbian organization, explains why same-sex couples should be afforded the same legal right to marry as heterosexual couples. John Cornyn, United States senator from Texas, says a constitutional amendment is needed to define marriage as permissible only between a man and a woman. Senator Cornyn contends that the traditional institution of marriage needs to be protected from activist courts that would seek to redefine it.
Issue 14. Should Society Support Cohabitation before Marriage? YES: Dorian Solot and Marshall Miller, from Unmarried to Each Other: The Essential Guide to Living Together as an Unmarried Couple (Marlowe & Company, 2002) NO: David Popenoe and Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, from Should We Live Together? What Young Adults Need to Know About Cohabitation Before Marriage (The National Marriage Project, 2001)
Dorian Solot and Marshall Miller, founders of the Alternatives to Marriage Project (www.unmarried.org), describe some of the challenges faced by people who choose to live together without marrying, and offer practical advice for couples who face discrimination. David Popenoe and Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, directors of the National Marriage Project (marriage.rutgers.edu), contend that living together before marriage is not a good way to prepare for marriage or avoid divorce. They maintain that cohabitation weakens the institution of marriage and poses serious risks for women and children.
Issue 15. Is Pedophilia Always Harmful? YES: Laura Schlessinger, from "Evil Among Us," Dr. Laura Perspective (June 1999) NO: David L. Riegel, from Understanding Loved Boys and Boylovers (SafeHaven Foundation Press, 2000)
Radio commentator Laura Schlessinger denounces a study, published by the American Psychological Association (APA), that reexamined the results and conclusions from 59 earlier studies of child sexual abuse (CSA) in more than 35,000 college students. Schlessinger views this study as a "pseudo-scientific" attempt to convince people to accept pedophilia as normal. Author David L. Riegel summarizes the major findings of the research in question, and criticizes the dismissal of scientific research that challenges common assumptions about CSA and its effects on children.
Issue 16. Should Female Circumcision Be Banned? YES: Loretta M. Kopelman, from "Female Circumcision/Genital Mutilation and Ethical Relativism," Second Opinion (October 1994) NO: P. Masila Mutisya, from "A Symbolic Form of Female Circumcision Should Be Allowed for Those Who Want It," An Original Essay Written for This Volume (November 1997)
Loretta M. Kopelman, a professor of medical humanities, argues that certain moral absolutes apply to all cultures and that these, combined with the many serious health and cultural consequences of female circumcision, require that all forms of female genital mutilation be eliminated. P. Masila Mutisya, a professor of multicultural education, contends that we should allow the simplest form of female circumcision, nicking the clitoral hood to draw a couple of drops of blood, as part of the rich heritage of rite of passage for newborn and pubertal girls in those cultures with this tradition.
Issue 17. Should the FCC Restrict Broadcast “Indecency”? YES: Federal Communications Commission, from "FCC Consumer Facts: Obscene, Profane, and Indecent Broadcasts," http://www.fcc.gov/eb/Orders/2001/fcc01090.doc (2001) NO: Judith Levine, from "Is 'Indecency' Harmful to Minors?" An Adaptation of an Article from Extra! Fairness in Accuracy and Reporting (FAIR) (October 2004)
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), a U.S. government agency charged with regulating the content of the broadcast airways, including television and radio, outlines what it defines as “indecent” broadcast material and describes its enforcement policy. Author Judith Levine traces the history of censorship in the United States, and argues that much of what the FCC has determined is “indecent” sexual speech is not, in fact, harmful to children.
Issue 18. Should Sexual Content on the Internet Be Restricted? YES: Stephen G. Breyer, from the Dissenting Opinion in Ashcroft v. American Civil Liberties Union (June 19, 2004) NO: Anthony M. Kennedy, from the Court's Opinion in Ashcroft v. American Civil Liberties Union (June 29, 2004)
In a dissenting opinion, United States Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer argues that the Child Online Protection Act does not impose an unreasonable burden on free speech, and should have been upheld by the high court. Explaining the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Child Online Protection Act, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy says that filtering software is a better and less restrictive alternative for protecting children from sexual content on the Internet.
