Private Choices...

...have public consequences in their cumulative effects. The following from a review by Kathryn Jean Lopez of a sensible sounding book called Smart Sex: Finding Life-Long Love in a Hook-up World, by Jennifer Roback Morse:

"Sex matters. Not just to the two (or more?!) actively participating, but it has ramifications. If you're married, one act may change the structure of a family for generations. If you're not, what if there's a pregnancy? If you're cheating on a spouse, take a look at family courts or classroom discipline problems or talk to your local police precinct for stories about some of the pathological ramifications. Sex is a civil act inasmuch as "there is much more at stake in our love lives than just personal happiness. It matters to other Americans whether we succeed — because bad sex and bad family life usually produce damaged children." And society pays for bad sex choices. When you know, for instance, that only six percent of married families in the United States live below the poverty line — a fact Kay Hymowitz points out in a recent piece in City Journal — you better realize that "smart sex" decisions really have the potential to do a world of good."

Here's the whole thing.