Award for the Public Understanding of Science, 2010, British Medical
Association's Board of ScienceFirst Prize, Popular Medicine, British
Medical Association 2010 Book Awards
This history of the U.S. Public Health Service's efforts to educate
Americans about sex makes clear why federally funded sex education has
been haphazard, ad hoc, and often ineffectual.
Since launching its first sex ed program during World War I, the Public
Health Service has dominated federal sex education efforts. Alexandra M.
Lord draws on medical research, news reports, the expansive records of
the Public Health Service, and interviews with former surgeons general
to examine these efforts, from early initiatives through the
administration of George W. Bush.
Giving equal voice to many groups in America--middle class, working
class, black, white, urban, rural, Christian and non-Christian,
scientist and theologian--Lord explores how federal officials struggled
to create sex education programs that balanced cultural and public
health concerns. She details how the Public Health Service left an
indelible mark on federally and privately funded sex education programs
through partnerships and initiatives with community organizations,
public schools, foundations, corporations, and religious groups. In the
process, Lord explains how tensions among these organizations and local,
state, and federal officials often exacerbated existing controversies
about sexual behavior. She also discusses why the Public Health
Service's promotional tactics sometimes inadvertently fueled public
fears about the federal government's goals in promoting, or not
promoting, sex education.
This thoroughly documented and compelling history of the U.S. Public
Health Service's involvement in sex education provides new insights into
one of the most contested subjects in America.
