Pornography/Obscenity

Pornography and Obscenity

Pornography is any sexually explicit media designed to sexually arouse a person. Although the law distinguishes between obscene pornography, which is illegal, and indecent material, which has some legal protections, we believe—and research shows—that even softcore pornography can have negative effects on its viewers. We oppose all forms of pornography because of its addictive qualities and the demonstrated harm to individual users, families and society as a whole. We are also concerned that pornography—because of the bizarre and extreme sexual practices it often portrays—creates a demand for abusive and predatory sex that is often satisfied through commercial sexual exploitation such as strips clubs, prostitution and sex trafficking. Pornography attacks the dignity of women, children and men alike and promotes the idea that human beings are sexual objects that can be bought, sold, used and discarded.

Below you will find our most recent articles about pornography and obscenity. If you’d like to see a full listing of articles on these topics, please check out our quick guide.

Pick of the Week

Owner of ‘Child Modeling’ Sites Admits to Producing Child Pornography

Images depicted girls ages 8-15 in underwear and lingerie.

Some websites that purported to be about "child modeling" were obviously aimed at a prurient audience – and the owner has owned up in court. read more

Recent News

9th Circuit: Videos of Marriage Amendment Trial Will Remain Sealed

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals handed marriage advocates a solid victory Thursday, declaring that videotapes of a trial over California’s same-sex marriage decision will remain sealed. The hearings concern Prop. 8, the voter-initiated law to keep the definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman, [...]

read more

Featured Blog

Pornography: Children, Adolescents, Young Adults and Men

The explosion of new technologies has brought with it a rising flood of pornography. Many children are exposed when they stumble across explicit images on the Internet. The growing use of pornography among young adults is alarming, as it influences relationships, changes attitudes toward sexuality and changes sexual behavior.

read more

NOTE: Referral to websites not produced by CitizenLink is for informational purposes only and does not necessarily constitute an endorsement of the sites' content.