But safeguarding the souls of children largely consists of protecting them from hearing about, thinking about or – God forbid – experiencing perverse possibilities that they would never consider on their own. Unfortunately, sometimes this means that decent parents become too childlike – coming to believe that no one would seriously propose such perversities, or seek their acceptance. It is the Achilles heel of the struggle for innocence that we can so convince ourselves that certain things are unthinkable and unspeakable that we lose vigilance in opposing those who are quite ready to think, speak and do the most monstrous things. Hence the perverse service that Joycelyn Elders has performed by contributing a preface to a new book by Judith Levine, "Harmful To Minors: The Perils of Protecting Children From Sex." If you have somehow managed to believe that the institution of childhood itself is not under attack, think again. This book explicitly advocates the view that sexual activity among young people is a good thing, and that sexual relations between adults and children aren't necessarily bad. And Dr. Elders has helpfully contributed a sanitizing aura of "educational" legitimacy to sugarcoat this very real poison.
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