In the 2004 case Ashcroft v. American Civil Liberties Union, the Supreme Court struck down Congress’s Child Online Protection Act (COPA) for violating the First Amendment. COPA required providers of commercial pornography to place pornographic material behind internet “screens.” Adults could access the pornography by verifying their age, but children, presumably, would be prevented from viewing some of the most objectionable content on the internet.
The Supreme Court sided with pornographers, who claimed that COPA restricted adult access to pornography in violation of the First Amendment. Although Congress and the states could curtail a minor’s access to pornography, the Court reasoned that COPA burdened adult access to porn. Applying strict scrutiny, the Court determined that age verification was unconstitutional because there was a less restrictive alternative, namely, content filtering.
Now twenty years later, with the smartphone social experiment well underway, the Supreme Court has a chance to redo its swing and miss in Ashcroft.
Tomorrow [yesterday] on January 15, the Court will hear oral arguments in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton — the porn industry’s challenge to H.B. 1181, Texas’s age-verification law. Although the case only concerns Texas’s recent law, the Court’s decision will have far-reaching implications, as over a dozen states have passed similar legislation to counter the widespread harm to children caused by exposure to online pornography. Many of these harms are now well-documented and have received increased media attention in the last several years, even from notable celebrities such as Billie Eilish, Kanye West, Bill Maher, and others who have spoken out about how pornography exposure causes severe problems in children. These problems include addiction, mental health crises, exploitation, exposure to violent sexual content, degradation of women, intimacy problems including impotence, relationship challenges, and child-on-child sexual assaults.
From First Things
Paxton speaks briefly outside the Supreme Court
Listen to oral arguments made before court yesterday. Note Justice Amy Barrett questioning at 0356)
I have always strongly felt that all pornographic content in dirty magazines, books, films, and now, the computer, should be illegal. Many young girls’ lives are destroyed all the time, in acting and modeling in the Satanic pornography industry — and this destroys the lives of thousands of filthy porn consumers, too. Many porn models and actresses also are involved in prostitution and are enslaved in human trafficking. The Satanic Empire of filthy, immoral, Godless criminals like High Hefner of “Playboy” magazine, have for many long decades (since the early 1950s, in the post-war era) promoted a horror of Satanic objectification of women, “free” sex, anti-marriage, prostitution, and have been a horrible blight, a disease, in America, and American family homes. Throughout the evil 1960s era, and through the 1970s, Satanic pornography peddling in films, magazines, books, etc. became even worse, with filthy hippies, Godless, anti-Christian, immoral liberal psychologists, college professors, film stars and producers, rock stars, and dirty, radical feminists and gay sex promoters, joining the evil pornography industry. Prostitution, now called “sex work,” and human trafficking increased, destroying the lives of thousands of young women. Huge, lawless, immoral, Satanically filthy pornography-based empires exploded everywhere, peddling pornography, birth control, “free” sex, gay sex, and in 1973, legal Child Murder — Abortion– to millions of people, destroying America and its young, and American marriages, families and homes. America now had a dangerous, life-threatening problem of venereal diseases, and later, AIDS, a killer of thousands of gay men. Pornography exploded on the new invention of the Internet, invented and promoted by immoral, Godless young entrepreneurs with no values, no Code of Ethics. These immoral young entrepreneurs enabled an explosion of pornography throughout America– and a resulting new disease, called “pornography addictiobn,” corrupting and destroying individuals of all ages, even kids– and destroying marriages. Codes of ethics, censorship, and age-verification laws to protect underage kids are fought by the Satanic “Me Generation” as well as the Satanic, wealthy porn empire executives. I have always felt that pornography of all types– especially on the Internet— should be strictly illegal, for everyone– ALL ages. And obscene language– including filthy verbal tirades and assaults on others– should likewise be strictly illegal. I have always believed too, that the film industry’s former Code of Ethics, Production Code, along with the Catholic-initiated Legion of Decency, should have remained in place, never abolished in the 1960s, after Vatican II. Too much “individual decisions of morality” will destroy a naive individual, and destroy entire nations— as history has proven. Sexual sin, like drugs, is a powerful, Satanic evil, and stern laws need to be made and enforced, to protect a country, and keep vulnerable chiq0⁰kdren, as well as young women, safe. And keep young boys abd men safe, too, from gay sex predators.
In my comment of Jan. 16 at 3:42 pm, I had a couple of typing errors in my last two sentences. They should read: “… to protect a country, and keep vulnerable children, as well as young women, safe. And keep young boys and men safe, too, from gay sex predators.”
As Christ rightfully said, to deliberately entertain lustful thoughts and intentions in your heart, is a terrible sin– committing adultery in your heart. Every woman is somone’s beloved sister, mother, wife, aunt, etc.– and deserves respect. A man must not cruelly objectify or exploit women, sexually– that is very evil. The body is holy, and belongs to the God Who made it. One must glorify God in body, mind, heart and soul, and sacrifice to God, all thoughts and desires that are evil. One must mever defile oneself and defile another, in sexual sins, outside of Holy Matrimony. In the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, a man and a woman pledge their lifelong love, devotion and faithfulness to each other, at the holy altar of God. Their Marriage Bed is sacred, and must never be defiled. In their Marriage Bed, united with Christ, in Holy Matrimony, the married couple brings forth beautiful children, by the hand. of God. Pornography is extremely evil and sinful, and should be illegal– for all people, all ages.
“The Supreme Court sided with pornographers,…” Evil.
And one legislator who voted against some of Tik Tok’s vile content recently had his office torched. Luckily they caught the man who set it on fire. My question is will he actual serve time for the crime? Our government is so corrupt anymore it makes me wonder.
If TikTok is banned, what will that mean for sites like this?
Though our attorney general, Mr. Paxton, is not a Catholic, he and fellow evangelical Christian John Ashcroft have worked hard to protect children from the devastating harm of pornography. Of course, and they would agree, no one should indulge in pornography. Yet, protecting children is a good start in trying to protect all and our society from the ravages of porn. What have your California Catholic politicians done?
They can start by turning off the Disney Channel.