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Tennessee Bans Posting 'Offensive' Images Online
Chaonici writes "Last Monday, Tennessee's Governer Bill Haslam signed a law prohibiting the transmission or display of an image that is likely to 'frighten, intimidate or cause emotional distress to' anyone who sees it. In Tennessee, it is already illegal to use other methods of communication, such as telephones or e-mail, to offend someone; the new law updates legislation to include images sent or posted online. However, the scope of this law is broader, in that anyone who sees the image is a potential victim. If a court finds that a violator should have known that someone would be offended by the image in question, they face up to a year in prison or up to $2,500 in fines."
The interesting thing is that more liberal countries have a lot LESS abortions, not more like the christian right in USA claim would be the consequence.
Teenage pregnancies are several times higher in USA than in Scandinavia, for example. The reason is primarily that when people panic and go into denial mode, teenagers get the picture and stop talking to their parents about sex at all. (or taking advice - if the only advice you're gonna get is "stay a virgin until you're 30!" who would listen?)
Which teenager has the best chance of practicing safe sex ?
The one who's scared, drunk at a party, or in the back-seat of some car, with parents that'd panic if they found condoms or other contraceptives.
Or the one who has parents who are reasonable. Who accept that their daughter is a sexual being. Who let's boyfriends sleep over, and makes sure that the daughter knows which drawer has condoms in it. Who is able to talk about these things in a non-panicked way. "Now that Eivind is sleeping over here sort of regularily, do you think we should schedule an appointment at the doc's for you to clear any questions you may have and get contraceptive pills, if that's what you want?"
You don't have to guess at the answer - you just have to compare the stats on teenage-pregnancies or abortions.
Scandinavia wins 8:1 on either. (as in has -less- of them)