Presented to the National Pornography Commission in New York City, on January 22, 1986.
My Name is Ardeth Greene Kapp. I am a Canadian by birth. More than three decades ago in a solemn
ceremony, before an authorized magistrate in this free land of America, I
raised my hand to the square and took an oath of allegiance which I repeat
in part, "1 hereby declare an oath ... that I will support and defend the
Constitution and the laws of the United States of America against all
enemies, foreign and domestic . . . and that I take this obligation
freely. So help me God.”
As a citizen of the
United States it is with
alarm and a great sense of responsibility that I see an enemy invading our
great country. I refer not to the overthrow of political territory but a
psychological warfare against the mind of man. I refer to the enemy of
pornography, obscenity and indecency.
I speak on behalf of nearly 6 million members of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes known as the
LDS Church or the
“Mormons”. I speak from a background of teaching in the public schools, in
higher education and in educational television. At the present time I
serve full-time in my church as President of the Young Women, which has a
membership of approximately 300,000 young women, ages 12 through 17 years.
In my testimony to this commission I express concerns in behalf of these
young women and millions of other young women in our country and all the
members of our Church.
I have the opportunity to
deal on a daily basis with a large number of people across this nation who
are striving to establish important values in their own lives and in the
lives of those they love. I listen to the youth as they attempt to be true
to their values in a world which is sending so many conflicting messages.
I hear their frustrations and those of their parents as they try to define
personal values which serve as a guide in making their actions consistent
with their knowledge of right and wrong. I have seen an alarming change
over the years with young people as they are confronted with an
environment infested with the proliferation of pornography. Such a
situation brings to mind the following thought from John W. Gardner's
book, Self Renewal. “Instead of implying that the ideals we
cherish are safely embalmed in the memory of old battles and ancestral
deeds we should be telling (our youth] that each generation refights the
crucial battles and either brings new vitality to the ideals or allows
them to decay."1
While pornography is a moral issue, it is also an issue of
survival - survival for the individual, the family and the nation. How can
we presume to deny history's past lessons and Almighty God's judgement as
we harken back to the fall of great empires whose moral fiber was eroded
by immoral decay? Fortuneately, we have protective laws in place which for
the most part could, if enforced, keep the enemy of obscenity from our
doors. But a law unenforced is as ineffective as a weapon never fired. Why
do we not enforce the laws and protect our citizens? Is it because we feel
we have no enemy and deny the destruction that is impacting on present and
future generations? Is it because we are not sure that we can identify the
enemy? Do we feel we are so strong as to be impervious to any destruction?
History sadly reminds us of the destruction at
Pearl Harbor which occurred because those who could have mobilized
protection were distracted by other interests probably thinking that
America could not
be inured. Can we remain in slumber while our nation is under attack? Will
our attention be drawn to more visible concerns in warfare while perhaps
our greatest enemy works quietly, steadily, and insidiously like unseen
termites destroying the very found actions of all we hold dear, the moral
fiber of our nation – our homes and our families. As long as we are able
we will be true to our citizenship and strive to keep
America
free from all enemies.
We believe human values of are vital importance. We do
not look to government to establish these values, only to preserve a
climate in which values may be freely selected and cultivated. I am
concerned with the increase of social ills such as child abuse, rape,
incest, and other sexual violence. While it may be argued that pornography
is not the only cause of such deviate behavior, studies suggest a very
high correlation between the incidence of such behavior and regular
involvement with pornographic materials. It may be falsely assumed by some
that a climate exists where total license is granted, with no restraints
concerning what materials are marketed and used. Such a notion ignores the
nature of pornography, its potent impact and its inherent damages.
I recently spoke with an experienced psychotherapist,
Dr. Thomas G. Harrison, who has treated over 1500 sexually abused
children. In every case there had been some pornography used by the
perpetrator (Included with my written testimony is a copy of Dr.
Harrison's letter regarding this matter.)2 Similar data reported by
Citizens for Decency Through Law, Inc. noted that in one large Western
city the vice squad advised that 72% of the individuals arrested for rape
and child-related sexual offenses had in their possession some type of
pornographic material.3
By virtue of your participation on this commission you
have reviewed many reports with authoritative data and a multitude of
Scenarios illustrating the sordid details and tragedy of lives scarred by
the acts of those driven by the addiction of pornography. It hardly seems
necessary, in fact inappropriate, to review additional examples to plead
our cause.
Our major concerns focus in three areas. First, we are
concerned about what maybe called the conditioning affect. Many of the
materials in question, that are so easily accessible, are the first
innocently viewed. Initially read out of curiosity, they are perceived as
shocking, repulsive, or even immoral. However, research has confirmed that
there is a psychological addicting effect. In his presentation to this
commission, Dr. Victor B. Cline identified the four stages through which
exposure to pornography can lead. First, is ADDICTION. Once involved the
users come back for more and more. Second is the ESCALATION effect. In
time, coarser, more explicit and deviate kinds of material is required to
satisfy. The third thing that happens is DESENSITIZATION. Material
originally perceived as repulsive and immoral becomes commonplace Finally
there is an increasing tendency and desire to ACT OUT the several
activities in the pornography reviewed.4
Secondly, we are concerned with the permanent effect
of information on the mind. As an educator I was anxious for learning to
occur. wanted students to learn to reason, to memorize facts, and to
become familiar with symbols that would allow them to read and recall.
Believing the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words, I
carefully selected materials and experiences I believed would enrich and
expand their minds. I hoped to be able to expose youth to the beauties of
art and the enjoyment of the cultural arts. Everything we see or hear has
an impact on us for good or ill. There is no neutral state. A former State
Supreme Court Justice and former university president suggests that
"pornographic or erotic stories and pictures are worse than filthy or
polluted food. The body has defenses to rid itself of unwholesome food.
With a few fatal exceptions, bad food will only make you sick but do no
permanent harm. In contrast, a person who feasts upon filthy stories or
pornographic pictures and literature records them in this marvelous
retrieval system we call a brain. The brain won't vomit back filth. Once
recorded, it will always remain subject to recall, flashing its perverted
images across your mind and drawing you away from the wholesome things in
life.”5
No wonder
Poland's Communist Party
leaders, concerned about the idealogical attitudes of many of the nation's
youth, are considering an unorthodox approach to secure their youths'
socialist commitment to Poland. It was reported in the January 13th
Newsweek (1986) that "authorities are considering showing soft porn films
on television to lure young people from (their) church.”6
My third point and greatest concern focuses on the
responsibility which rests heavily upon our leaders - our elected
officials. It is they who carry the burden of insuring protective
legislation concerning pornography. As James Reston stated, "Leaders do
matter." They are, or should be "custodians of a nation's ideals, of the
beliefs it cherishes, of the faith which makes a nation out of a mere
aggregation of individuals."7 Pulitzer Prize winning writer Barbara
Tuckman addressed this issue in an essay entitled, "The Missing Element:
Moral Courage, In Search of Leaders.” "Standards of taste, as well as
morality, need continued reaffirmation to stay alive, as liberty needs
eternal vigilance. To recognize and to proclaim the difference between the
good and the shoddy, the true and the fake, as well as between right and
wrong, is the obligation ... of persons who presume to lead or are thrust
into leadership or hold positions of authority." Tuckman believes "there
is an abdication of moral leadership in the sense of a general
unwillingness to state standards. We seem [she says) to be afflicted by a
widespread and eroding reluctance to take any stand on any values,
moral, behavioral¸ or aesthetic."8 Those of us who are entrusted to lead
must not abdicate the responsibility for moral leadership.
When all the information and data have been submitted
to this commission, when all the studies are measured and evaluated, it
will still be necessary to step back from the complex detail of the
resulting mosaic and ask ourselves: Do these conclusions agree with our
instinctive wisdom? Do they ring true to the moral sense of our founding
fathers? Are they true to the foundation on which this nation was built?
This commission has an opportunity to help restore a
climate where values can have a chance to survive and thrive. We cherish
all constitutional protections and do not ask that any of them be
infringed, either for our benefit or to our detriment. The United States
Supreme Court has clearly stated that obscenity is not constitutionally
protected and that indecency can properly be regulated. The court has
likewise acknowledged that local community values can be preserved and
enforced by law. The United States Congress and many state legislatures
have enacted valid legislation to curb distribution of prohibited
pornographic materials. In most instances, these laws are not being
enforced. The result is that failure to enforce these laws leaves many
falsely believing that offending material is legal. Meanwhile, magazine
stands and bookstores sell obscene materials loaded with advertisements
for even coarser materials that can be ordered by mail and which flow
freely in government subsidized and regulated commerce. Satellite
television transmissions carry crude images which go unregulated, and
telephone lines are used for obscene purposes because of deficiencies in
the laws. The pervasiveness of pornography poses a serious threat to the
possibility of parents teaching a reverence for human life. The family may
be the last bastion for protecting values, but it is almost certainly
doomed to failure if it is impacted by influences over which it has no
control.
We stand at the crossroads, a pivotal point - the past
truly is prologue for what lies before us. The recommendations on this
vital issue rest in your hands. As a church and as citizens of this land
we ask and pray that this commission commit to three important actions:
1.
Give proper
heed to the wealth of testimony and evidence before you, present to the
Attorney General and to the American people a clear finding that obscenity
and indecency contribute significantly to many of the growing social ills
besetting this country, including child abuse, violent sex crimes, suicide
and disruption of families through divorce and infidelity. Your findings
can arm parents, educators, social scientists and all citizens with the
validation that the influence of these materials is inflicting moral decay
on our society.
2.
We ask that
you recommend to the Attorney General and to the President of the United
States that all federal laws relating to obscene and indecent materials be
given full enforcement. These laws would impact on imported obscenity,
violation of postal regulations, interstate commerce prohibitions, and
common carrier laws and Federal Communication Commission requirements.
Without national enforcement of obscenity laws, local efforts will be
almost futile.
3.
Recommend
that the Congress of the United States and state legislatures fashion new
legislation, where needed, to meet the challenges of advancing technology
that have stepped beyond the reach of existing obscenity laws. At the
moment of our greatest technological achievements we may find ourselves on
the brink of the most unspeakable horrors. Legislation that is consistent
with constitutional principles is needed in the areas of television
transmission by cable and satellite, use of telephone lines and equipment
to control enterprises, such as Dial-a-porn, and use of computer
correspondence where the content is obscene or indecent.
As this commission now approaches the time for sifting
and evaluating all that has been presented, we pray you will make
recommendations for enforcing the laws that will protect against the
annihilation of the dignity of human beings for decades and centuries to
come. Values are not inherited. Values cultivated and nourished for
centuries can be lost in one generation. We must earn them anew. As John
Gardner reminds us, "A society is being continuously re-created for good
or evil, by its members. This will strike some as a burdensome
responsibility, but it will summon others to greatness."9
Only when men and
women concerned for their families and communities let their voices and
their influence be felt in thoughtful, rational ways, will we alter the
destructive course on which we are traveling. We believe that when people
of good will unite in a worthy cause, where the moral fiber of our nation
is at stake, they will be aided by divine power in their efforts to
overcome any obstacle and meet any challenge. May we all be committed, as
citizens of this great land, "to support and defend the Constitution and
the laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and
domestic . . . So help [us] God." Thank you.
