Bonnie Erbe on early
puberty
The Post-Standard (Syracuse, New York) 7nov00
This problem is so new to science that no researchers have yet developed a reason, much less a satisfactory cure, for early onset of puberty among girls. An alarming percentage of girls - as early as 7 or 8 - are sprouting breast buds and growing pubic hair years before the age at which their mothers and grandmothers launched into pubescence or pre-pubescence. It's set off national alarm bells and has created a nationwide water-cooler discussion the likes of which we've not seen in the women's community for quite some time.
Here are the facts: Among Caucasian girls, one in seven starts to develop breasts and pubic hair by the age of eight. Among African-Americans, for reasons science has yet to understand, the ratio is one in two. The early onset of puberty may not be as serious a problem as cancer. But it is a cancer of sorts, robbing girls of their innocence, their pride and their youth.
Bonnie Erbe, host of the PBS program "To the Contrary," writes this column for Scripps Howard News Service.
