Medved: Fighting back against underage drinking should unite Dems, GOP
Sep 26, 2018, 2:19 PM
(AP)
The Kavanaugh confirmation fight conveyed one message that Democrats and Republicans should both embrace: America needs to make serious efforts to guard against the very real dangers of teenage alcohol abuse.
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Judge Kavanaugh’s accuser describes a party when she was fifteen and he was seventeen, where she and he (if he was actually there) were both drinking, perhaps heavily. Underage drinking may be common and widely tolerated, but it should be strongly discouraged for three reasons:
- First, it is against the law in every state.
- Second, medical science shows that teenage brains can be permanently damaged by heavy drinking.
- Third, teenagers are highly vulnerable to alcohol addiction, with devastating impact on future health and success.
The Kavanaugh case ought to inspire new efforts in high schools and colleges everywhere to fight back against underage drinking, as it is hardly a “victimless crime.”