Contact: Robert Peters, President, Morality in Media, 212-870-3210

NEW YORK, Oct. 29 /Standard Newswire/ -- In conjunction with the 20th annual White Ribbon Against Pornography (WRAP) Week, which this year runs from Sunday, October 28, through Sunday, November 4, Morality in Media president Robert Peters had the following additional comments:

"Our nation faces many problems, including the threat of terrorism, health care crisis, social security crises, environmental pollution, racial divisions, entrenched poverty, decaying infrastructure, loss of jobs to foreign countries, and schools that don't teach.

"But our nation also faces a moral crisis, giving rise, among other things, to teen promiscuity, sexually transmitted diseases (including AIDS), abortions, children born to single mothers, divorces, sexual abuse of children, sexual harassment, rape, and trafficking in women and children. The human and taxpayer costs associated with these and other problems are incalculable.

"It is clear that the explosive increase in the availability of hardcore pornography is helping to fuel this moral crisis. It is also clear that ignoring the growing hardcore pornography problem (the Clinton administration's response) and refusing to take necessary steps to effectively curb the problem (the Bush administration's response) have not solved the problem.

"This ongoing government failure should be a matter of concern to every presidential candidate.

"While enforcement of obscenity laws is not the whole answer to the pornography problem, vigorous enforcement will put pornographers out of business, encourage others to get or stay out of the business, and encourage those who remain to be more cautious in how they do business. It will also improve our national image in the war against religiously based terrorism.

"The Supreme Court has held repeatedly that the First Amendment does not protect obscene materials. The Court also said there are 'legitimate governmental interests' at stake in stemming the tide of obscenity, 'even assuming it is feasible' to effectively shield children from pornography. These interests include protecting the 'community environment' and the 'social interest in order and morality,' protecting 'public safety' and 'family life,' and maintaining 'a decent society.'

"The truth is, of course, that our nation has failed miserably in shielding minors from pornography. According to a study conducted by the Crimes Against Children's Resource Center, the percentage of Internet users ages 10 to 17 exposed to unwanted pornography in the previous year increased from 25% in 2000 to 34% in 2005. According to a survey conducted in 2004 by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, 45% of teens said they have friends who regularly download pornography from the Internet. According to Nielsen/Net Ratings for February 2002, nearly 16% of visitors to "adult" websites were younger than 18 years of age.

"Among other things, hardcore pornography found on the Internet depicts pseudo child porn, barely legal teens, unsafe sex, group sex, gang bangs, public sex, sex with animals, sex with urine and feces, sex with siblings, sex with she-males, and the degradation, rape and torture of women."

For information about WRAP Week and fighting pornography throughout the year, citizens can call 212-870-3222 or visit www.moralityinmedia.org (WRAP Campaign page).