Action Center
The Iowa Senate is considering a bill (HF 864) that would require an “adult” website to use reasonable age verification to verify that an individual attempting to access obscene material is not a minor.
From a religious perspective, the Church is opposed to obscene material because it does grave injury to the human dignity of its participants. Pornography offends against chastity because it perverts the conjugal act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other. It makes something public that should be private.
As a practical matter, we believe this policy could protect children by simplifying things for parents, some of whom are unaware that filtering options even exist on their devices or do not have the technical know-how to activate them. This puts more of the obligation for protection on the provider.
In addition:
- A meta-analysis of 37 studies found that exposure to violent adult material increased a child's odds of experiencing sexual exploitation by nearly three times.
- Children are more susceptible than adults to addictions and to developmental effects on the brain.
We ask that you contact your State Senator and ask them to vote Yes for HF 864.