A New Year; A New Front; A New Hope

Over the last four decades our culture has systematically removed the social and moral restraints from non-marital sexual behavior while at the same time fueling these unrestrained desires with the graphic sexual images of pornography. According to U.S. News and World Report pornography consumption in America has increased from $10 Million a year in 1973 to more than $8 billion in 1999. Conservative estimates place that figure at more than $12 billion today which does not even account for the abundance of free material currently available on the Internet.

We have become a sex-centered culture no longer bound by moral and social constraints and yet there are those that argue: "pornography is harmless." These words from the mother of a 3 year-old girl who was molested by a twelve-year old boy underscore the ignorance of such statements; "What he saw on those pages (Internet) not only gave him the ideas of what to do and how to do it, but it gave him the permission to treat females in a degrading and debasing manner"

There is compelling evidence concerning the connection between an increasingly sexualized culture and sexually motivated crimes against women and children.

History too, demonstrates a commensurate and inevitable increase in these societal effects among profligate cultures.

Perhaps the most amazing aspect of pornography in light of its recent proliferation is the fact that much of it still meets the legal definition of obscenity and is therefore prosecutable under the law. In Miller v. California (1973), the Supreme Court stated, "This much has been categorically settled by the Court, that obscene material is unprotected by the First Amendment."

There were several converging factors in the 1990's that seem to have contributed to the epidemic of pornography plaguing America today.

Most recently another channel of distribution has developed which promises to advance the ubiquity of pornography and worse, easily deliver such material into the hands (or should I say iPods, cell phones, and PDAs) of countless minors.

According to a recent USA Today article, "The evolution of video-capable wireless devices has made mobile porn an emerging cultural phenomenon and booming enterprise. Global 2005 sales will hit $1 billion, up 175% from 2004, says Juniper Research. U.S. sales are just $30 million, mostly because carriers, fearful of a backlash, haven't provided easy access to X-rated theater." However the USA Today article adds that "Scores of marketers are lining up to tap the U.S. market. (According to the U.S. News & World Reports article, Americans are the largest consumers of porn in the world.) Xobile, a content provider for Web-capable wireless devices, will offer 50,000 video clips, says operations chief Harvey Kaplan. Porn star Ron Jeremy licensed his name to RJ Mobile, which offers adult content in Britain and Holland. ...Kathee Brewer, an editor for Adult Video News, says consumers will be lured by portability. ...Steve Hirsch, co-CEO of adult film giant Vivid Entertainment, expects mobile porn to eventually account for 30% of sales. 'This is going to explode. People will want porn in their pocket,' he says."

I agree with former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. C. Everett Koop, when he declared pornography "a crushing health problem...a clear and present danger...blatantly anti-human... We must oppose it as we oppose all violence and prejudice."

This is where I am proud to say that the National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families is leading the charge in protecting children from this new front in the assault against their innocence. This past November the National Coalition sponsored the first-ever Summit on Advanced Technology at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C. The summit focused specifically on the distribution of pornographic content through handheld wireless devices.

In partnership with our sister organization, the National Law Center for Children and Families, the summit drew more than 40 leaders from America's largest pro-family groups as well as officials from the Federal Communications Commission, Department of Justice and the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association. The conference was the first time such a group had been gathered to address the moral and ethical challenges that this new technology poses. Our goals are to initiate effective and constitutional regulations for the distribution of pornographic material through these new channels as well as help other pro-family organizations, governmental agencies, and the telecommunications industry educate parents on ways to protect children.

Thus far everyone involved, including the telecommunications industry, have been extremely receptive and eager to achieve some meaningful measures protecting children. While there is much work to be done, 2006 is already shaping up to be a year of unprecedented progress in our efforts to advance reasonable restraints on what has been the unabated flow of pornographic sewage into American culture.

To learn more about this initiative read our Advanced Technology Case Statement.