The Adult Freedom Foundation (AFF) will be unable to present witnesses on behalf of the adult industry at Thursday's Senate Subcommittee hearing on porn that is being chaired by Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) despite sending a letter to his office last week requesting that opportunity.
The AFF indicated today that there is a possibility an AFF representative would be able to appear as a witness at the next judiciary subcommittee dealing with issues important to adult after the AFF's talks with Sen. Russ Feingold's office.
The following is the tentative witness list for Thursday's hearing before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights on “Why the Government Should Care About Pornography: The State Interest in Protecting Children and Families."
Pamela Paul
Author of Pornified
New York, NY
Dean Rodney Smolla
Dean
University of Richmond School of Law
Richmond, VA
Jill Manning
Social Science Fellow, Heritage Foundation
Washington, DC
Sociologist, BrighamYoung University
Provo, UT
Leslie Harris
Senior Consultant and Incoming Executive Director
Center for Democracy and Technology
Washington, DC
Richard Whidden
Executive Director and Senior Counsel
National Law Center for Children and Families
Fairfax, VA
According to the AFF, the manner and extent the Justice Department uses in enforcing anti-porn laws is high on the priority list. One scheduled witness, Paul, who authored the book “Pornified,” says she’s especially concerned that easy access to porn is desensitizing America.
“The more pornography people are exposed to, the more likely they are to think that it’s no big deal," she says. "My hope is to create awareness of the negative side of pornography and really to combat that public perception.”
Paul says most adults can’t comprehend the effect pornography is having on our children, those who have grown up with graphic and perverted images just a click away.
“And this is really transforming the way in which, children, boys and girls, develop sexually," she adds. "It’s changing what they think of as normal, appropriate, natural human sexual behavior.”
Pat Trueman, former head of the Justice Department’s Obscenity Enforcement Group, says, "Because of the pressure of Sam Brownback and the support of the American public, and the good will of the Attorney General, we are going to see the Justice Department have a strong effort against obscenity very soon.”
Sen. Brownback says one goal of the committee hearings is to make all parents aware of the devastating effects the porn industry has on the nation, according to the AFF.
