But by far the most explosive part of the book, one that is directly related to the current scandal, has to do with the age of consent.

Ms. Levine argues that sex between teenagers and adults is not always wrong, and that many people are too quick to deny children and teenagers the right to make their own sexual decisions, often by labeling all such contact ''abuse.''

''Teens often seek out sex with older people,'' she writes, ''and they do so for understandable reasons: an older person makes them feel sexy and grown up, protected and special; often the sex is better than it would be with a peer who has as little skill as they do. For some teens, a romance with an older person can feel more like salvation than victimization.''

Needless to say, many disagree. Dr. David Spiegel, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University, said that minors were too young to consent to a sexual relationship with an adult, even if they say they want it.

''Most people agree it's wrong for someone to be in a sexual relationship with their boss because of the unequal power balance,'' Dr. Spiegel said. ''If that's true with adults, it's certainly true between any adult and a child.''

Ms. Levine counters that power imbalances are inevitable in sexual relationships. ''A balance needs to be struck between respecting kids as sexual beings and protecting them from exploitation,'' she said.

A model for that balance can be found in the Netherlands, she argues. In 1990 the Dutch parliament made sexual intercourse for people between the ages of 12 and 16 legal as long as there was mutual consent; the law excludes adult family members and authority figures like teachers and members of the clergy. Parents can overrule a child's wishes only if they persuade the Council for the Protection of Children that they are acting in the child's best interest. Children can also bring charges if they feel they are being exploited or coerced.