Politics

Rick Santorum: "Federal Obscenity Laws Should Be Vigorously Enforced"

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Should he be elected, Rick Santorum will bring his obsession with hardcore porn to the White House, according to a recently posted statement on the former senator's presidential campaign site

America is suffering a pandemic of harm from pornography.  A wealth of research is now available demonstrating that pornography causes profound brain changes in both children and adults, resulting in widespread negative consequences. Addiction to pornography is now common for adults and even for some children. The average age of first exposure to hard-core, Internet pornography is now 11. Pornography is toxic to marriages and relationships. It contributes to misogyny and violence against women.  It is a contributing factor to prostitution and sex trafficking.

Current federal "obscenity" laws prohibit distribution of hardcore (obscene) pornography on the Internet, on cable/satellite TV, on hotel/motel TV, in retail shops and through the mail or by common carrier. Rick Santorum believes that federal obscenity laws should be vigorously enforced.  "If elected President, I will appoint an Attorney General who will do so."  

The Obama Administration has turned a blind eye to those who wish to preserve our culture from the scourge of pornography and has refused to enforce obscenity laws. While the Obama Department of Justice seems to favor pornographers over children and families, that will change under a Santorum Administration. 

I proudly support the efforts of the War on Illegal Pornography Coalition that has tirelessly fought to get federal obscenity laws enforced.  That coalition is composed of 120 national, state, and local groups, including Morality in Media, Family Research Council, Focus on the Family, American Family Association, Cornerstone Family Council of New Hampshire, Pennsylvania Family Institute, Concerned Women for America, The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, and a host of other groups.  Together we will prevail.

As Jesse Walker noted in his candidate profile, Santorum's obsession with porn dates back at least to 2005, when Santorum released The Aristocrats It Takes a Family: Conservatism and the Common Good. Read more on the case against Santorum here, and why even a second-place finish is too good for the puritan from Pennsylvania.