"Although the evidence may be slim, we nevertheless know enough to conclude that pornography does present a clear and present danger to American public health."
That was US Surgeon General C. Everett Koop in an American Psychologist article in 1986. Mr. Koop was reporting on the "Surgeon General's Workshop on Pornography and Public Health" that was held in Arlington, Virginia in June of 1986.
What have we done in the interim? One would expect that such a declaration would bring increased measures to protect the most susceptible among us, our children, from a public health danger. We have, in fact, done just the opposite.
The Internet began being used as a commercial tool around 1992 and the pornography industry was first in line to use the new medium. Society was unaware of the power and reach of the Internet at the time - but had a clear understanding of the dangers of pornography. This disconnect led to an explosion of pornographic material on the web, leaving society to catch-up to the problem.
If pornography was a "clear and present danger" to public health in 1986, it certainly constitutes a public health crisis today.
The CP80 Foundation is pleased to offer free training to individuals who wish to learn more about the Internet, pornography, current laws and the CP80 Internet Channel Initiative.
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