Pornography

The Supreme Court has said there are four categories of pornography that are illegal.

1. Obscenity is graphic material that contains sex and/or sexual violence, obviously offensive, and lacking in serious value.
2. The legal status of child pornography is straight forward – visual depictions of children under 18 engaged in sexual activity. It has been vigorously prosecuted and it is now sold primarily in secret across the country.
3. Material harmful to minors is material sold or displayed to children under 18 that is unhealthy or unwholesome, obviously not suitable, and lacking in serious value for children.
4. Indecent material include messages or pictures on telephone, radio, broadcast TV, or internet that are offensive descriptions or depictions of graphic sexual conduct. Indecent material on the airwaves is exploding across the nation.

Congress and all states have passed laws dealing with child pornography, and the Supreme Court upheld them in New York vs. Ferber, (1982) and Osborne vs. Ohio (1990). Unfortunately only about half of the 50 states have child pornography laws which provide strong and meaningful protection for children. When children are shown pornography there is no need to debate “serious value” or to apply “community standards.” That’s because the first victims of child pornography are always the children who appear in it. Child pornography is the photographic record of child abuse, and government clearly has the authority to protect. As a result of strong federal prosecutions, child pornography (as of this writing) is not freely available over the counter in the United States. It is, however, a thriving underground “cottage” industry where the molesters who use child pornography also produce and distribute it, often utilizing computers for transmission. Internet pornography has reached epidemic proportions.

Pornography intensifies dangerous impulses. Dr. Victor Cline, a clinical psychologist and psychology professor at the University of Utah, has extensively studied pornography users. He has observed a four-step pattern in the development of pornography users:

1. Addiction
2. Escalation
3. Desensitization
4. Actualization

 

Actualization, of course, means doing – acting out. In other words, the pornography user:

1. Becomes addicted.
2. Uses more and more, which is worse and worse.
3. Becomes indifferent to other people.
4. Finally, copies what he has seen.

 

This may lead to rape and other violent crimes. Pornography consumption is a common character trait among serial murderers and rapists. Violent crimes are more common near pornography areas, and some cities that close pornography outlets have experienced a decrease in rape. Keeping pornography addicts from getting to step 4 – actualization – is a matter of self-defense.

 

WHAT PARENTS CAN DO

1. Establish and maintain community action organizations.
2. Solicit support from a broad spectrum of civic leaders and organizations.
3. Gather information about pornography in their community.
4. Educate the public about the effect pornography has on their community.
5. Communicate with law enforcement officials and prosecutors about pornography in their jurisdiction.
6. File complaints, when appropriate, with the Federal Communications Commission about obscene broadcasts.
7. Keep computers/all electronic devices in an area that can be supervised.