Behind this drive to shower the Tiger Beat set with birth control supplies lies the conviction that young kids are sexy beasts whose urges cannot be controlled or suppressed. Fifteen, thirteen, eleven years old… they’re all swingers now, and nothing can be done to slow them down. All we can do is provide kids with the supplies necessary to cut down on sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancy. The religious hangups and moral standards of parents cannot be allowed to interfere with the wisdom of the State in this matter.

(The ability of previous generations to set higher standards is an inscrutable mystery, which today’s birth control activists would rather not discuss. It’s also considered very bad form to point out that the sex partners of those young teenage girls might be considerably older than fifteen, and grateful for easy access to contraceptives that support their “lifestyle.”)

This all seems a bit inconsistent with the philosophy of socialized medicine, in which the behavior of citizens must be controlled to reduce health care costs. Individual health is supposedly a matter of public concern, because unhealthy behavior comes at the expense of the general public. The fit are unfairly expected to pay the freight for the fat. With this in mind, why is the same State that tinkers with restaurant menus, and takes other steps to either warn citizens away from unhealthy meal options or forbid them outright, so intent on facilitating a profoundly unhealthy lifestyle for children?