>From: "The Fool" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >To: "Brin_L" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> (Brin-L) >Subject: 'Virtual' Child Porn Act Ruled Unconstitutional >Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 14:29:41 -0500 > >http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/00-795.ZS.html > >...The CPPA also prohibits speech having serious redeeming value, >proscribing the visual depiction of an idea�that of teenagers engaging in >sexual activity�that is a fact of modern society and has been a theme in >art and literature for centuries. A number of acclaimed movies, filmed >without any child actors, explore themes within the wide sweep of the >statute�s prohibitions. If those movies contain a single graphic >depiction of sexual activity within the statutory definition, their >possessor would be subject to severe punishment without inquiry into the >literary value of the work. This is inconsistent with an essential First >Amendment rule: A work�s artistic merit does not depend on the presence >of a single explicit scene. ... >
Yes, our government is passing bills that probably overstep their boundaries, but this can, and should equally be a criticism of the American porn industry: for attacking a bill that was designed to protect children and teenagers from being sexually exploited and abused. Of course, any American bill which places limits on how pornography of any kind can be distributed is probably in for a battle with that industry, which, regularly as clockwork, cloaks itself in the First Amendment to claim the moral high ground. The news is frustrating to me, since if the framers of the CPPA had written it more clearly and not constructed the bill in a way that it over reached itself, this sort of ambiguity wouldn't be a problem. It seems beyond doubt that they intended to enact laws that would protect children from harm. While the issue of free speech is definitely important, protecting our children from being exploited/abused/damaged is as, if not more important, IMO. Does anyone know if the porn giants police themselves when it comes to these issues? Jon [EMAIL PROTECTED] _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp.
