American Family Association Action (AFA Action), is a non-profit 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to advancing biblical, family values in society and government by educating and influencing public policy. AFA Action is also the Governmental Affairs Affiliate of American Family Association (AFA).
TUPELO, Miss. — The American Family Association (AFA) and AFA Action, joined by more than 60 state lawmakers from 15 states, are urging the Supreme Court to rule that the Constitution permits states to protect kids from being victimized by the pornography industry. The issue is pending in the United States Supreme Court case, FSC v. Paxton, set for oral argument on January 15. The case concerns a Texas law, H.B. 1181, which requires pornographic websites to verify that users are adults before allowing access to pornographic content. A coalition of pornographic websites, calling themselves the “Free Speech Coalition,” sued the state of Texas over the law.
“Texas is one of at least nineteen states that have passed laws to protect kids from being exposed to porn. Now, the billion-dollar Big Porn industry is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to keep the doors of pornographic websites open for children,” explained AFA Action Senior Legal Fellow Trey Dellinger. “The idea that the First Amendment puts porn industry profits ahead of kids is completely alien to our constitutional traditions. We believe oral arguments before the Supreme Court will make clear that the First Amendment does not grant porn websites the right to destroy children’s innocence.”
More than 20 years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court narrowly struck down a similar federal law in a 5-4 decision, but Dellinger says there are key differences between the federal law and the new state laws at issue now.
“In its prior decision, the Court suggested age verification was less effective than parent-initiated filtering software. The passing years have shown that parental filtering software did not work to protect kids. Childhood porn exposure has gotten much worse. In addition, the old federal law imposed criminal penalties, while the new state laws impose only civil monetary damages. We believe these key points will be brought out in oral argument and will convince the Court to uphold the Texas law.
“AFA and AFA Action are proud of the state lawmakers stepping up to protect our country’s children from the porn industry and making their voices heard in the Court,” concluded Dellinger.
AFA Action is a non-profit 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to advancing biblical family values in society and government by shaping public policy through education and advocacy. The mission of AFA Action is to inform and mobilize individuals to strengthen the biblical foundations of America by persuading individuals with the truth of the Gospel, challenging the lost to repent, promoting societal values that are consistent with Scripture, restraining evil and exposing the works of darkness, motivating people to take a stand on cultural and moral issues, and encouraging Christians to bear witness to the world the love of Jesus Christ. Find AFA Action Alerts here.
For more information on the American Family Association, visit www.afa.net or follow AFA on Facebook or Twitter @AmericanFamAssc.
For more information on AFA Action, visit www.afaaction.net or follow AFA Action on Facebook or Twitter.
Trey Dellinger is available to the media to provide an analysis of Wednesday’s oral argument. To interview Dellinger, contact [email protected], Beth Bogucki, 610.584.1096, ext. 105, Dawn Foglein, ext. 100, or Daniel Moyer, ext. 104.
AFA Action is a non-profit 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to advancing biblical, family values in society and government by educating and influencing public policy. AFA Action is also the Governmental Affairs Affiliate of American Family Association.