by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
(April 24, 2008) A new poll has found that three out of four Americans want the next president to do all in his or her power to ensure that federal obscenity laws are vigorously enforced.
The poll was commissioned by Morality in Media and was conducted by Harris Interactive between April 6-8, 2008 among 1,018 adults age 18 and over.
After describing the rampant proliferation of hard core pornography over the last 15 years in magazines, DVDs, and films shown on cable, television and the Internet, respondents were asked if they would support the next president should he or she decide to vigorously oppose the commercial distribution of pornography.
Seventy-five percent said they would give the president total support with only 19 percent saying they would oppose it. This strong support was found across all major demographic groups; gender, political party, marital status, child status and ethnicity.
Robert W. Peters, President of Morality in Media, commented: “Those who defend hardcore pornography, whether in court or in the court of public opinion, point to the proliferation of this material as ‘proof’ either that everyone is viewing it or that people no longer deem it unacceptable. The porn defenders overlook at least four factors.
“First, much if not most pornography is consumed by a relatively small percentage of individuals who are hooked on it; and many addicts hate what they do.
“Second, just because a person, whether by mistake or deception or out of curiosity or at weak moments, views pornography does not mean he or she approves of it. This is especially true when many pornographers use unscrupulous means to attract viewers.
“Third, just because an adult thinks it’s OK to look at some pornography does not mean that he or she approves of all of it.
“Fourth, many individuals who view pornography on the Internet are minors. According to Nielsen/Net Ratings for February 2002, nearly 16 percent of visitors to ‘adult’ web sites were younger than 18; and according to a study conducted for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2006, the percentage of Internet users ages 10 to 17 who were exposed to unwanted pornography or who went to ‘X-rated’ web sites on purpose increased significantly between 2000 and 2005.”
In spite of the overwhelming public support for enforcement of existing obscenity laws, little has been done in the past 15 years at the Federal level to curb distribution of obscene materials.
“During President Clinton’s terms in offices, enforcement of federal obscenity laws was not a Justice Department priority,” Peters said. “During President Bush’s terms, his Attorney Generals have talked big but haven’t implemented needed policies to get the job done.
“Hopefully, the next President will take whatever steps are necessary to fight obscenity effectively, knowing that the large majority of adult Americans will support such action.”
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