ADDRESS

By
C, Everett Koop, M.D.
SURGEON GENERAL
U.S. Pupiic HEALTH SERVICE
AND
DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR HEALTH

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

GaSe

7

PRESENTED TO THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF CATHOLIC PHYSICIANS’ GUILDS
CHICAGO, ILLNOIS
SEPTEMBER ll, 1986
l

(GREETINGS TO HOSTS, GUESTS, FRIENDS, ETC.)

I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH FOR YOUR INVITATION TO SPEAK AT
THIS MEETING. IT HAS BEEN MY PRIVILEGE AND PLEASURE THROUGH THE YEARS
TO HAVE COUNTED AS CLOSE FRIENDS AND TRUSTED COLLEAGUES MANY MEMBERS
OF THE CATHOLIC PHYSICIANS’ GUILDS AROUND THE COUNTRY.

AND I CHERISH THE AWARD YOU GAVE ME IN SAN DIEGO SEVERAL YEARS
AGO,

YOU'RE NOT PERFECT -- NONE OF US IS! -- BUT OVER THE YEARS I HAVE
FOUND THAT CATHOLIC PHYSICIANS, AS A GROUP, SEEMED TO MAINTAIN A MORE
COMPELLING SET OF ETHICAL STANDARDS TO GUIDE THEIR MEDICAL PRACTICE
THAN MIGHT BE FOUND AMONG PHYSICIANS IN GENERAL,

WE SEEM TO HAVE ARRIVED AT MANY OF THE SAME CONCLUSIONS. AND
THAT’S WHAT COUNTS. OUR ETHICS, AFTER ALL, COME FROM THE SAME JUDEO-
CHRISTIAN CONSENSUS. AND MANY OF THE POINTS OF DISAGREE- MENT WE
MIGHT HAVE HAD DISAPPEARED SINCE JOHN XXIII.
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SO I FEEL VERY COMFORTABLE IN THIS AUDITORIUM BECAUSE I KNOW THAT
ON CERTAIN VERY IMPORTANT ISSUES WE SHARE SIMILAR VIEWS...

ABOUT THE SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE, FOR EXAMPLE...

AND THE NECESSITY TO PRACTICE MEDICINE WITH AS STRONG A LEAVENING
OF DECENCY AND MORALITY AS WE HAVE OF GOOD SCIENCE...

AND WE SHARE SIMILAR FEELINGS, I BELIEVE. ON WHAT WE ARE OBLIGED
TO DO -- ON OUR OWN AND AS WELL AS THROUGH OUR INSTITUTIONS -- TO
MAKE SURE THAT THIS WORLD IS A SANER, HEALTHIER PLACE WHEN WE
LEAVE THAN IT WAS WHEN WE CAME IN,
3

IT HAPPEN 10 BELIEVE THAT SUCH A MORAL PERSPECTIVE MUST ALSO BE AN
INTEGRAL PART OF ANYONE'S MEDICAL PRACTICE, REGARDLESS OF THEIR
PARTICULAR CONFESSIONAL PREFERENCE,

I LIKE TO THINK THAT I PRACTICED THAT WAY FOR SOME 35 YEARS AS A
PEDIATRIC SURGEON,

I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT SUCH SENTIMENTS HAVE AN “OLD FASHIONED” RING
TO THEM. I SUPPOSE THEY DO, BUT I OFFER NO APOLOGIES. QUITE THE
CONTRARY.
4

OUR RELIGIOUS BACKGROUNDS RECOGNIZE THE CREATOR AS THE AUTHOR AND
THE GIVER OF LIFE AND WE. THEREFORE. HOLD THE LIVES ENTRUSTED TO US IN
A PRECIOUS STEWARDSHIP, AND WE ALSO HAVE THE OBLIGATION NOT TO DEMEAN
LIFE.

T SOMETIMES DEARLY WISH THAT MANY MORE OF MY YOUNG COLLEAGUES IN
MEDICINE -- OF WHATEVER RELIGIOUS PERSUASION OR SOCIAL CLASS -- WOULD
NOW AND THEN RECALL SOME OF THE FUNDAMENTAL ASPIRATIONS OF THE HUMAN
RACE -- THINGS LIKE CHARITY, LIKE LOVE FOR THE STRANGER, LIKE THE
CHERISHING OF EVERY BEATING HEART -- AND THAT THEY WOULD INVOKE THEM
MORE FREQUENTLY AND MORE CONSISTENTLY AS ASPIRATIONS THAT STILL APPLY
TO MEDICINE.

OUR PROFESSION MUST BE DRIVEN BY SOMETHING WITH MORE DEPTH AND
SUBSTANCE THAN FEE SCHEDULES, FACULTY APPOINTMENTS, AND JOURNAL
PUBLICATIONS, IF NOT. THAN IT IS NO PROFESSION AT ALL BUT THE
COMMONEST OF TRADES.
5

THE SUBJECT OF ASPIRATIONS CAME TO MIND WHILE 1 WAS AT HARVARD
LAST WEEK, TAKING PART IN A SYMPOSIUM, ONE OF MANY PRESENTED DURING
HARVARD'S GRAND 350TH BIRTHDAY PARTY.

AS A DARTMOUTH GRAD, I WAS DELIGHTED TO HELP THEM CELEBRATE.

I WAS REMINDED THAT THIS COUNTRY WAS SETTLED BY A BAND OF PEOPLE
WHO NAVIGATED BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE OLD WORLD AND THE NEW AT
LEAST A CENTURY BEFORE THE INVENTION OF THE QUADRANT AND THE SPRING-
WOUND CLOCK,

HOW ON EARTH DID THEY DO IT, STANDING ON THE DECKS OF THEIR
BOBBING LITTLE SHIPS, SEARCHING THE STORMY NORTH ATLANTIC SKIES FOR
THE SUN, MOON. AND STARS?
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THEY HAD VIRTUALLY NO TECHNOLOGY TO SAIL WITH. INSTEAD, I
BELIEVE THEY HAD A HUMANE INTUITION, A COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY. AND A
STERN, TENACIOUS FAITH,

AND 1 THOUGHT TO MYSELF THAT THERE’S A LESSON HERE FOR MEDICINE.
TODAY PHYSICIANS HAVE MORE TECHNOLOGY THAN MAY BE GOOD FOR THEM... BUT
LESS THAN THE TENACITY OF FAITH THEY NEED... THAT FAITH -- SMALL “F” --
WHICH IS THE COMPASS OF OUR PROFESSIONAL CALLING.

FOR THESE ARE DIFFICULT TIMES FOR THOSE OF US IN MEDICINE. SO
MANY QUESTIONS OF A SERIOUS SOCIAL NATURE HAVE BEEN “MEDICALIZED” AND
WE ARE CALLED UPON MORE AND MORE TO MAKE A RESPONSE. DRUNK DRIVING
AND TEENAGE PREGNANCY ARE TWO THAT COME IMMEDIATLEY TO MIND.
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ANOTHER IS VIOLENCE...ESPECIALLY VIOLENCE WITHIN THE FAMILY.

A YEAR AGO I CONVENED A “SURGEON GENERAL’S WORKSHOP ON VIOLENCE
AND PUBLIC HEALTH.” I HAD BECOME CONVINCED THAT THE ANNUAL TOLL OF -
PAIN AND DEATH -~- PARTICULARLY AMONG WOMEN AND SMALL CHILDREN -- COULD
NO LONGER BE TOLERATED IN A CIVILIZED NATION SUCH AS OURS CLAIMS TO
BE, FURTHERMORE, THAT TOLL HAS A MAJOR IMPACT ON MEDICINE AND PUBLIC
HEALTH IN OUR SOCIETY.

RALLYING SUPPORT AND UNDERSTANDING WITHIN THE MEDICAL COMMUNI TY
HAS BEEN AN ARDUOUS TASK, BUT IT IS MEETING WITH SUCCESS NEVERTHELESS.
8

I THINK OUR COLLEAGUES IN MEDICINE, NURSING. PSYCHOLOGY, PUBLIC
HEALTH. AND ELSEWHERE ARE COMING AROUND TO THE NOTION THAT THEY CAN IN
FACT DO MORE FOR THE VICTIMS OF FAMILY VIOLENCE AND CAN ALSO PLAY A
MORE SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THE PREVENTION OF VIOLENCE,

IT’S NOT A SIMPLE PROBLEM BY ANY MEANS, WHO AMONG US REALLY
ENJOYS INTERVENING IN THE LIFE OF THE FAMILY? CERTAINLY NOT I.

BUT WHO AMONG US CAN TURN AWAY FROM A CHILD WHO IS BEING BEATEN OR
SEXUALLY ABUSED?...

WHO AMONG US CAN TURN AWAY FROM A WOMAN WHO HAS BEEN BATTERED AND
TRAUMATIZED BY SOMEONE WHO PROFESSES TO LOVE HER?...
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AND WHO AMONG US CAN TURN ASIDE FROM AN ELDERLY PARENT WHOSE FINAL
YEARS ARE BEING REDUCED TO MONTHS -- MAYBE EVEN WEEKS OR DAYS --
OF UNRELIEVED TERROR AND PHYSICAL ABUSE?

TWENTY YEARS AGO WE DIDN'T KNOW VERY MUCH ABOUT THESE PROBLEMS. THEY
HADN'T YET REGISTERED ON OUR PERSONAL OR PROFESSIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS,
IF WE IGNORED THE PROBLEMS OR DIDN’T SEE THEM. MAYBE WE COULD BE
EXCUSED,

BUT NOT ANYMORE. THERE ARE AN ESTIMATED 4 MILLION OR MORE
VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE EACH YEAR IN OUR SOCIETY. THEY INCLUDE
THE MOST VULNERABLE OF OUR CITIZENS...INFANTS, OLD PEOPLE, PREGNANT
WOMEN, AND HANDICAPPED CHILDREN.
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OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS WE'VE NOT ONLY LEARNED MORE ABOUT THE
PROBLEM, WE’VE ALSO LEARNED MORE ABOUT THE THINGS WE IN MEDICINE AND
PUBLIC HEALTH CAN DO ABOUT IT. MANY OF THOSE THINGS, BY THE WAY, ARE
DISCUSSED IN THE REPORT OF LAST YEAR’S WORKSHOP, WHICH HAS BEEN
GETTING WIDE CIRCULATION, ALSO,

AS 1 INDICATED A MOMENT AGO, I’VE BEEN PLEASED TO SEE A
GROUNDSWELL OF SENSITIVITY, COMPASSION, AND POSITIVE ACTION DEVELOPING
WITHIN THE MEDICAL PROFESSION IN REGARD TO THIS ISSUE OF FAMILY
VIOLENCE,

AND I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO INVITE THE GUILDS
AND ASSOCIATIONS REPRESENTED AT THIS MEETING TO EXPLORE WAYS TO
HEIGHTEN THEIR OWN MEMBERS’ KNOWLEDGE OF -- AND PROFESSIONAL ATTENTION
TO -- THIS CRUSHING PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM IN AMERICA TODAY.
ll

A SECOND ISSUE WHICH HAS ARISEN TO TEST OUR FAITH AS CITIZENS...
AS PHYSICIANS...AND AS HUMAN BEINGS IS THE ISSUE OF PORNOGRAPHY.

THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN A CONCERN OF MINE FOR MOST OF MY PROFESSIONAL
LIFE...WELL BEFORE MY APPOINTMENT AS SURGEON GENERAL AND CERTAINLY IN
THE YEARS SINCE THEN,

AT ONE TIME, THE PUBLIC’S CONCERN WAS FOCUSED ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY
ON BOOK STORES AND MOVIE THEATERS THAT SPECIALIZED IN PORNOGRAPHY.
BUT TODAY'S HUCKSTERS OF PORNOGRAPHY HAVE INVADED CABLE TELEVISION,
POPULAR MUSIC, TELEPHONE COMMUNICATIONS, AND THE WHOLE NEW FIELD OF
HOME VIDEOS. THROUGH THESE NEW TECHNOLOGIES THEY’VE EXPANDED THEIR
MARKETS OF SLEAZE AND TRASH...AND WORSE,

DESPITE THIS, WE TEND TO GIVE PORNOGRAPHY A LOW PRIORITY IN THE
OVERALL SCHEME OF PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERNS, BUT TO IGNORE THE EVIDENCE
WOULD BE TO MAKE A CONSCIOUS DECISION NOT TO SEE PORNOGRAPHY AS A
CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER TO AMERICAN PUBLIC HEALTH. AND I BELIEVE IT
IS,
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THE DEGREE TO WHICH IT HAS BECOME A SERIOUS SOCIAL PROBLEM CAN BE
SEEN IN THE RECENT REPORT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S COMMISSION ON
PORNOGRAPHY.

IT’S A LENGTHY REPORT AND I WILL GLADLY CONFESS THAT 1 DID NOT
READ THE WHOLE THING. BUT I’M FAMILIAR WITH ENOUGH OF THAT REPORT TO
KNOW THAT WE NO LONGER CAN SAY THAT PORNOGRAPHY 1S HARMLESS AND WE
SHOULD FORGET ABOUT I1T,..WHICH IS WHAT THE LAST COMMISSION SAID BACK
IN 1970,

BY THE WAY, THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN EQUALLY CONCERNED
WITH THIS ISSUE AND THEIR REPORTS HAVE BEEN AS LONG AND, IF ANYTHING,
EVEN MORE CONDEMNATORY.

OUR COUTNRY’S 1970 REPORT WAS WRONG. AND NOW WE KNOW -- WITH A
LITTLE BIT MORE PRECISION -- JUST HOW WRONG THEY WERE.
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BUT PORNOGRAPHY’S EFFECTS UPON PUBLIC HEALTH WERE NOT REALLY
ADDRESSED DIRECTLY BY THE LATEST COMMISSION REPORT. I KNEW THAT WOULD
PROBABLY BE THE CASE, WHEN I TESTIFIED BEFORE THE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S
COMMISSION IN JUNE 1985,

HENCE, I SUGGESTED TO THE COMMISSION THAT THE U.S. PUBLIC HEALTH
SERVICE MIGHT TAKE A LOOK AT THE LINKAGE BETWEEN PORNOGRAPHY AND
HEALTH. IF THE COMMISSION MEMBERS THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL. THEY
AGREED THAT IT WOULD AND THEY PROVIDED THE SUPPORT FOR OUR MODEST BUT,
I THINK, USEFUL ACTIVITY THIS PAST SUMMER,

I CONVENED A “SURGEON GENERAL’S WORKSHOP ON PORNOGRAPHY AND
PUBLIC HEALTH.” I CALLED TOGETHER 20 OF THE BEST PEOPLE I COULD
FIND,..RESEARCHERS AND CLINICIANS,..PEOPLE WITH NATIONAL AND EVEN
INTERNATIONAL REPUTATIONS...AND ASKED THEM TO DO SEVERAL THINGS IN THE
COURSE OF THE TWO-DAY WORKSHOP;
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FIRST, WHAT DO WE KNOW WITH SOME DEGREE OF CERTAINTY ABOUT THE
EFFECTS OF PORNOGRAPHY UPON THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL
HEALTH OF OUR PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY UPON YOUNG CHILDREN AND
ADOLESCENTS?

SECOND, WHAT KINDS OF THINGS DO WE STILL NEED TO KNOW...1IN OTHER
WORDS, WHAT IS OUR RESEARCH AGENDA FOR THE FUTURE?

 

AND THIRD, AS PROFESSIONALS IN PUBLIC HEALTH AND MEDICINE, WHAT DO
WE THINK QUGHT TO BE DONE NEXT, EITHER BY OUR COLLEAGUES
IN RESEARCH AND CLINICAL PRACTICE OR BY OUR GOVERNMENT?

 

AS IT HAPPENS, THE PARTICIPANTS GAVE THOUGHTFUL ANSWERS TO THESE THREE
QUESTIONS AND ACQUITTED THEMSELVES VERY WELL. WITH THEIR HELP I
BELIEVE THE PUBLIC INTEREST WAS SERVED IN A TIMELY AND VITAL MANNER,
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I WON'T REPLAY ALL THE DISCUSSION THAT OCCURRED. BUT I WILL SHARE
WITH YOU THE FIVE STATEMENTS OF CONSENSUS THAT DID EMERGE:

FIRST, QUOTE -- “CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WHO PARTICIPATE IN THE
PRODUCTION OF PORNOGRAPHY EXPERIENCE ADVERSE. ENDURING EFFECTS” --
UNQUOTE.

THIS KIND OF THING WAS REGARDED BY THE PARTICIPANTS AS SEXUAL
VICTIMIZATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE, "PURE AND SIMPLE.” THEY NOTED, FOR
EXAMPLE, THE CONNECTION BETWEEN INVOLVEMENT IN THE PRODUCTION OF
PORNOGRAPHIC MATERIALS AND SUBSEQUENT INVOLVEMENT IN CHILD
PROSTITUTION,

DR. MIMI SILBERT REPORTED TO US AT THIS WORKSHOP THAT JUVENILE
PROSTITUTES, FOR EXAMPLE, “TRAPPED IN A SELF-DESTRUCTIVE CYCLE, FEEL
THEMSELVES TO BE OUT OF CONTROL OF THEIR LIVES. ESSENTIALLY THEY HAVE
DEVELOPED A CHRONIC DISORDER AS A RESULT OF THEIR VICTIMIZATION AND AN
INABILITY TO SEPARATE THEMSELVES FROM THE SEXUAL EXPLOITATION IN ORDER
TO RE-ESTABLISH A POSITIVE LIFE.”
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SECOND, THE PARTICIPANTS AGREED THAT -- QUOTE -- “PROLONGED USE OF
PORNOGRAPHY INCREASES BELIEFS THAT LESS COMMON SEXUAL PRACTICES
ARE MORE COMMON” -- UNQUOTE.

THIS SHOULD COME AS NO SURPRISE, SINCE THE CONCLUSION IS THE SAME THAT
OCCURS WHEN WE TALK ABOUT VIOLENCE AND OTHER ANTI-SOCIAL ACTIVITIES;
REPEATED EXPOSURE TO THEM -- VIA TELEVISION. FOR EXAMPLE. OR MOVIES
SUCH AS THE SO-CALLED “SLASHER FILMS” -- TENDS TO BUILD UP THE
IMPRESSION THAT PEOPLE ARE CARRYING OUT SUCH ANTI-SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
MORE OFTEN THAN IS ACTUALLY THE CASE,

THIRD, QUOTE -- “PORNOGRAPHY THAT PORTRAYS SEXUAL AGGRESSION AS
PLEASURABLE FOR THE VICTIM INCREASES THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE USE Or
COERCION IN SEXUAL RELATIONS” -- UNQUOTE,
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I’M CERTAIN THAT THIS KIND OF PORNOGRAPHY IS THE CAUSE FOR MUCH
OF THE RAPE THAT OCCURS TODAY. IMPRESSIONABLE MEN -- MANY OF THEM
STILL IN ADOLESCENCE -- SEE THIS STUFF AND GET THE IMPRESSION THAT
WOMEN LIKE TO BE HURT, TO BE HUMILITATED, TO BE FORCED TO DO THINGS
THEY DON’T WANT TO DO OR APPEAR TO BE FORCED TO DO THINGS THEY REALLY
DO WANT TO DO. IT’S ANOTHER FALSE STEREOTYPE...ANOTHER VICIOUS KIND
OF MYTHOLOGY...BUT THIS ONE ALMOST CERTAINLY LEADS TO THE PAIN AND
EVEN DEATH OF VICTIMIZED WOMEN.

 

FOURTH, QUOTE -- "ACCEPTANCE OF COERCIVE SEXUALITY APPEARS TO BE
RELATED TO SEXUAL AGGRESSION” -- UNQUOTE,

THIS CONSENSUS STATEMENT, ALONG WITH THE PREVIOUS ONE. COMPLETES THE
CIRCLE OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE. IN OTHER WORDS, IF A MAN SEES A STEADY
STREAM OF SEXUALLY VIOLENT MATERIAL IN WHICH THE VICTIM SEEMS TO BE
LIKING IT, HE BEGINS TO GET THE IDEA THAT COERCION AND VIOLENCE ARE
ACCEPTABLE IN SEXUAL RELATIONS,
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BUT THEN, SAID THE WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS. HE WILL VERY LIKELY
TAKE THE NEXT STEP. HE WILL CONVERT THIS ATTITUDE INTO HIS OWN
BEHAVIOR. IN OTHER WORDS, HE WILL BECOME THE PERPETRATOR HE HAS BEEN
READING ABOUT OR WATCHING IN PORNOGRAPHIC FILMS AND VIDEOS,

FIFTH AND FINALLY, QUOTE -- “IN LABORATORY STUDIES MEASURING
SHORT-TERM EFFECTS, EXPOSURE TO VIOLENT PORNOGRAPHY INCREASES
PUNITIVE BEHAVIOR TOWARD WOMEN” -- UNQUOTE.

THIS IS OBVIOUSLY IMPOSSIBLE TO PROVE BY CONTROLLED EXPERIMENTS. IT’S
DIFFICULT TO ACCUMULATE HARD DATA ON PORNOGRAPHY BECAUSE OF THE OVER-
RIDING ETHIC THAT PREVENTS US FROM DOING HARM TO HUMAN SUBJECTS IN
RESEARCH. NEVERTHELESS, THIS FIFTH CONCLUSION 1S SAFE ENOUGH TO DRAW
FROM THE FEW EXPERIMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN DONE.
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I THINK IT IS FAIR TO SAY, BASED ON THESE CONSENSUS STATEMENTS,
THAT PORNOGRAPHY DOES STIMULATE ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR THAT HAVE
GRAVELY NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES FOR INDIVIDUALS AND FOR SOCIETY. THOSE
OUTCOMES IMPAIR THE MENTAL, EMOTIONAL, AND PHYSICAL HEALTH OF CHILDREN
AND ADULTS -- THAT'S CLEAR ENOUGH -- AND MAY THUS CONTRIBUTE SIGNIF-
ICANTLY TO THE MORBIDITY BURDEN IN OUR SOCIETY.

WHAT'S THE RESULT OF ALL THIS? I CAN‘T SAY THAT THE WORKSHOP HAS
CAUSED THE GOVERNMENT, THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, OR EVEN THE U.S, PUBLIC
HEALTH SERVICE TO STEER A NEW AND MORE ACTIVIST COURSE AGAINST THIS
EVIL INLFUENCE IN OUR SOCIETY. BUT I CAN SAY THAT THE RECORD IS NOW A
LITTLE CLEARER AND A LITTLE LESS AMBIGUOUS, WITH REGARD TO THE
PRESENCE OF PORNOGRAPHY IN AMERICAN LIFE.

 
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AND 1 WOULD ADD, STRICTLY FROM A LAYPERSON’S POINT OF VIEW, THAT
THE ISSUE WE TAKE WITH PORNOGRAPHY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH FIRST AMEND-
MENT RIGHTS, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT OUR SOCIETY HAS NEVER PERMITTED,
MUCH LESS CONDONED, SPEECH OR WRITING THAT WAS RECOGNIZED AS ENDANGER-
ING THE LIFE OR DIMINISHING THE WELL-BEING OF ANY CITIZEN,

THE LAWS RELATING TO LIBEL, SLANDER, AND TO CONSPIRACY 10 DEPRIVE
A PERSON OF HIS OR HER CIVIL RIGHTS SEEM TO STEM FROM THE SAME IMPULSE
THAT HAS GUIDED MANY OF US THROUGHOUT THIS EFFORT TO DEAL WITH
PORNOGRAPHY... PARTICULARLY CHILD PORNOGRPAHY AND SEXUALLY VIOLENT
PORNOGRAPHY,

THIS MATERIAL 1S BLATANTLY ANTI-HUMAN,..ITS APPEAL IS TO A DARK
AND ANTI-HUMAN IMPULSE.,..AND THE RESULTS OF ITS DISSEMINATION HAVE
BEEN INJURIOUS TO THE PHYSICAL, MENTAL, AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH OF OUR
CITIZENS, YOUNG AND OLD, FEMALE AND MALE ALIKE,
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WE MUST OPPOSE IT AS WE MUST OPPOSE ALL VIOLENCE. HATE. AND
PREJUDICE. AND IF THAT IS SOMEHOW UN-AMERICAN,..WELL, IT’S NEWS TO
ME,

THESE ARE INDEED DIFFICULT AND TROUBLING TIMES FOR THE CONCERNED
PHYSICIAN, AS THEY ARE TROUBLING FOR THE CONCERNED CITIZEN OF WHATEVER
CALLING. MANY OF US, I KNOW, LONG FOR SOME MYSTIC AGE WHEN A
PHYSICIAN’S CONCERN WOULD BELY TO TREAT AND CURE AND HEAL.

THE WORLD IS ASKING A GREAT DEAL OF US THESE DAYS...BUT WE ARE,
IN TURN, ASKING MUCH MORE OF OURSELVES.
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IN THAT SPIRIT, LET ME CLOSE MY REMARKS TODAY WITH THIS EXCERPT
FROM THE WRITINGS OF ST, PAUL, WHO REMINDED THE CHURCH AT EPHESUS, AS
HE REMINDS US YET AGAIN TODAY, THAT...

“WE WRESTLE NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD, BUT AGAINST PRINCIPALI-
TIES, AGAINST POWERS, AGAINST THE RULERS OF THE DARKNESS OF THIS
WORLD, AGAINST SPIRITUAL WICKEDNESS IN HIGH PLACES.

"WHEREFORE TAKE UNTO YOU THE WHOLE ARMOUR OF GOD, THAT YE MAY BE
ABLE TO WITHSTAND IN THE EVIL DAY, AND HAVING DONE ALL, TO STAND.”

ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR INVITATION TO COME AND
STAND WITH YOU TODAY AT THIS IMPORTANT MEETING,

THANK YOU,

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