Hardcore pornography has infiltrated virtually every online space today. For America’s children, it is no longer a matter of if they come across pornography online, but when.  

And today’s pornography is a new level of disturbing. Sexual violence, incest, image-based sexual abuse, child sexual abuse, and racism dominate pornography websites today, with “teen” being the most popular word found on porn sites. Themes have included things like rape porn, “snuff” porn (i.e. when the woman is murdered), Klu Klux Klan porn, Holocaust porn, and so much more.  

While federal law on obscenity likely makes much of this material illegal, still, it flourishes. In 2009, prosecutions for violations of obscenity laws were halted and since then have been non-existent.   

There are dire, real-life consequences to letting violent, abusive, and hateful pornography proliferate on the Internet. For example, longitudinal research shows that childhood exposure to violent pornography predicts a nearly six-fold increase in committing sexual aggression later in life. A meta-analysis of 22 studies from seven countries confirmed that, even among adults, pornography exposure is significantly associated with real acts of sexual aggression.  

I implore the Department of Justice to start enforcing obscenity laws again. We must stop pornography from harming our children and creating a culture that normalizes sexual exploitation. 

Sincerely,

[Your Name]