Article: 11840 of alt.censorship
From: Tom.Cavender@f2020.n112.z1.fidonet.org (Tom Cavender)
Newsgroups: alt.censorship
Subject: [alt.feminism] pornograph
Message-ID: <718098679.0@iphase.fidonet.org>
Date: 2 Oct 92 23:31:00 GMT
Sender: FredGate@iphase.UUCP
Lines: 39

-> I don't know if everyone knows about this bill or not, but on June
-> 25th the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee approved by 7-6 a bill that
-> would permit suits for economic damages against the producers,
-> distributers, and exhibitors of obscene material if a plaintiff can
-> show that the sexually explicit material was "a substantial cause" of
-> a sexual offense.
-> (Will we next see an analogous bill permitting Reagan or Hinkley to
-> sue Scorcese for the creation of Taxi Driver?) Or perhaps an analogous bill permitting families of survivors of the Manson murders to sue the Beatles.  This is truly a monstrous piece of legislation that removes the responsibility for the commission of a crime from the criminal to some third party that probably never knew either victim or perpetrator.

-> Anyway, I just thought I'd post the closing paragraph from the Ad Hoc
-> Committee of Feminists for Free Expression (which includes Nora
-> Ephron, Judy Blume, Adrienne Rich, Betty Friedan, Anne Bernays and
-> 180 other active feminists):
->
-> "Women do not require 'protection' from explicitly sexual materials.
-> It is no goal of feminism to restrict individiual choices or to stamp
-> out sexual imagery.  Though some women and men may have this on their
-> platform, they represent only themselves.  Women are as varied as any
-> citizens of a democracy; there is no agreement or feminist code as to
-> what images are distasteful or even sexist.  It is the right and
-> responsibility of each woman to read, view, or produce the sexual
-> material she chooses without the intervention of the state 'for her
-> own good.'  We believe genuine feminism encourages individuals to
-> makes these choices for themselves.  This is the great benefit of
-> being feminists in a free society."
->
-> I think it is a rather nice statement. Me too.

-> Just for the record, the yea votes were Charles Grassley (Iowa),
-> Strom Thurmond (South Carolina), Orrin Hatch (Utah), Alan Simpson
-> (Wyoming), Hank Brown (Colorado), Howell Heflin (Alabama), and Dennis
-> DeConcini (AZ). Arlen Specter conspiciously left the room at vote
-> time.  (Woah -- flashbacks to the Anita Hill thing or what?) Here's to the six who voted against.  And, here's to hoping they, and the bill's principal sponsor, Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), lose the next time they stand for election.

Pax,

<<<Tom Cavender>>>

 * Origin: Aether (1:112/2020)