2257 reform - the senate's gone too far :@
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In a controversial 64-35 vote, the senate passed legislation Thursday requiring 18 U.S.C. Section 2257 amendments, changing adult model minimum age restrictions from 18 to 21.
The bill, favored by all but 9 of the Senate's 57 republicans, was introduced after controversy related to pornographic models being advertised in ways encouraging an underage portrayal of actresses, such as "fresh teens" and "teen virgins".
"This bill is a step in the right direction for our country against the increasing use of younger models in the pornography industry", said Kay Hutchinson (R-Texas), a mother of 2 and strong oppositionist against the adult industry. "The number of teenage models exploited by adult film producers has nearly doubled in the last three years."
The bill will outlaw the photography and filming of models under the age of 21 in any sexually explicit context as of June 1, 2005. As of this time, records kept prior to this date will be grandfathered thus uneffected by the bill, however a much more debated sister bill is being argued to determine the legal status of such grandfathered material. If passed, adult content distributors may be required to cease sales of offending content as early as the fourth quarter of 2005.
John Kerry (D-MA), like every other democrat, voted against the bill. "When a person becomes 18, she can vote, live on her own, and have many other new freedoms that come with legal adulthood. If someone decides to do this type of activity, it should remain her choice."
Full story: http://www.cnn.com/SENATE/2257.reform/index.html |
