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IC : Weblogs : Prunesquallor : "Blogging for Backlash"
Blogging for Backlash (2)
Prunesquallor's profile
Posted by Prunesquallor on Tue 10 Oct 06, 2:52 PM
I do hope this response is not too late. I haven't been able to get to the site for a few days.
I think that when legislators formulate new laws they need to ask themselves a number of questions:
1. Is there any need for legislation? What we have here is one woman's tragedy, and one woman's call for a change in the law. Is there any evidence at all that the current laws are not adequate to ensure people's safety? Is there any evidence at all that the death happened as *a direct result* of watching pornography?
2. Is the proposed legislation clear and unambiguous? I think there is ample evidence that in this case it is not.
3. Is the legislation framed in such a way that it will only affect one group of people or one particular activity?
Quite clearly, no.
4. Will the legislation be an infringement of personal liberty? Yes, by its very nature.
5. Is the legislation backed up by any unambiguous studies? Not so far as I know, because most of the studies *I* have seen have concluded that there is no causal connection between violent pornography and violent crime.
6. Is there any danger that the proposed legislation will have a disproportionate effect, and criminalise sections of the population who have until now been regarded as normal, upright members of society? Yes, clearly.
This is a bad proposal. It would make a bad law.
Edited Tue 10 Oct 06, 7:20 PM by Prunesquallor
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