WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Sam Brownback today chaired a hearing of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution to examine pornography's effects on marriage, families, and children.
"Most Americans know that pornography is bad," said Senator Brownback. "But most Americans don't know how harmful pornography is to users and to their families. While sexually explicit material is often talked about in terms of 'free speech,' too little has been said about its devastating effects on families and children."
Once relatively difficult to procure, the increased ease of access to pornography forces more families to deal with its presence and consequences. Greater mainstream acceptance of pornography in popular culture means that more people can be exposed, even unwillingly.
According to recent reports, one in five children between the ages of 10 and 17 has received a sexual solicitation over the internet, and 9 out of 10 children between the ages of 8 and 16 who have internet access have viewed porn web sites, usually in the course of looking up information for homework.
Brownback continued, "I fear Americans don't fully know or appreciate the serious and imminent risks pornography poses to families, and especially to children who could suffer from strained relationships-or even divorce-between their parents."
At a recent meeting of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, two-thirds of the divorce lawyers who attended said that excessive interest in online pornography played a significant role in divorces in the past year.
Senator Brownback is a member of the Judiciary Committee and chairs the Constitution Subcommittee.
