Many who consider themselves pro-life are actually pro-State:
they want more power for the government to prosecute those who
seek or provide pornography. Why would a Christian concerned for
the spiritual state of a pornographer lock him in prison with a
carjacker and a homosexual rapist? Given the fact that nearly
60% of all federal inmates are non-violent drug users, why
should these losers be subjected to a new inmate who is a
pornographer? Legal solutions to pornography (those involving
State-imposed violence) are not the answer to the problem of
pornography.
Because I am a libertarian and oppose laws against
pornography, I have been called an "anarchist."
Actually I believe in MORE government than those who support
"the government." I believe in self-government.
The vast majority of Americans oppose the vast majority of
pornography in America, according
to all polls. This should be the source of social power
needed to effectively end pornography without prisons.
If there are 150 million people who oppose pornography, and
only a few thousand actively involved in production of
pornography, then the odds are in favor of those who oppose
pornography. Unfortunately, most of these 150 million to
absolutely nothing to stop pornography. And the few who take
steps to stop pornography usually do nothing more than ask the
government to inflict violence on
pornographers.
Here's how self-government works to eliminate
pornography better than the federal government:
Even before pornography is published, self-government
operates to cultivate a positive value for human life. If
Americans had the liberty to put their money where their values
are, schools would teach "the
Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" and most
pornography would never be published and would be instinctively
opposed.
Families: Parents who are not victims of government
schooling and who have been trained to appreciate America's
pro-life values can pass these values on to their children. Constant
reminders from the earliest ages that human beings are
created by God with unalienable rights is the soil in which
pornographic weeds are less likely to grow. Children steeped in
pro-life views will inevitably pass these views onto their
playmates, and should be encouraged to do so. American parents
have always been careful to know who their children play with,
and always make an effort to meet the parents of their
children's playmates and invite them to learn more about our
God-given rights.
- Hitting
the Escape Button
- How to persuade your local library to eliminate internet
pornography
Making
Your Grocery Store Porn-Free
Employers should not hesitate to hire single mothers
who struggle to make ends meet, take an interest in their
private lives, and see that various forms of pornography don't
offer a tempting substitute for gainful employment. Merchants
must substitute generous pay for government welfare. Lunchtime
Bible studies and employee training sessions can pass on
America's pro-life values. Personal encouragement increases job
performance better than an impersonal workplace, and may result
in opportunities for interdicting the demand for pornography.
Landlords should use their relationship with tenants
to cultivate respect for life through respect for property; the
two are not unrelated. Weekend classes in property
management, concern for the environment, and household budgeting
can be required of tenants in rental agreements. These sessions
provide opportunities to stress the importance of human beings
created in the Image of God, and their role as stewards
of the creation.
Teachers should pass on pro-life values to their
students, even in classes that do not directly teach social and
cultural subjects. Like the Apostles (Acts
5:29), teachers should defy court
orders prohibiting a discussion of American values before
and after school, and at lunch.
Media sources which propagate pro-death anti-family
values should be boycotted. Americans should patronize movies,
television, plays, concerts, and other events which transmit
American values. Americans should invite neighbors to neighborhood
reading circles in which great pro-life books are read and
discussed.
Merchants and business owners can join all of the
above in a more negative but essential social function:
ostracization. Parents can disinherit, landlords can refuse to
rent, teachers can expel, media sources can give unfavorable
publicity, and merchants can refuse to sell to those who exploit
women and children.
Professional organizations such as the AMA and the ABA
should penalize members who have significant ties to the porn
industry.
If 90% of all pornography is opposed by 90% of Americans,
then the lives of these 90% are being controlled by pro-porn
forces: the 90% have been subtly coerced into silence and
inaction. Cultural transformation begins with self-government,
not the federal government.
It is only because Americans are no longer self-governing
that they appeal to "the government" to use armed
force against those who publish or consume pornography.