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MP Seeking To Outlaw Written Accounts of Child Abuse

Posted by samzenpus on from the watch-what-you-write dept.

First time accepted submitter Anduril1986 writes "A UK Conservative MP is seeking to expand censorship in another 'think of the children' debate. The plan this time is to make it illegal to possess written accounts of child abuse. According to Sir Paul Beresford, the MP for Mole Valley such writing 'fuels the fantasies' of offenders and could lead to the physical abuse of children."

10 of 454 comments (clear)

  1. Fool of an MP by J'raxis · · Score: 5, Informative

    Something this fool of a politician should read: Three reasons possession of child porn must be re-legalized in the coming decade by Rickard Falkvinge.

    Abstract: This article argues that our current laws on the topic are counterproductive, because they protect child molesters instead of bringing them to justice, they criminalize a generation of normally-behaving teenagers which diverts valuable police resources from the criminals we should be going after, and they lead to censorship and electronic book burning as well as unacceptable collateral damage to innocent families. Child abuse as such is not condoned by anybody, and this article argues that current laws are counterproductive in preventing and prosecuting it.

    --
    Liberty in your lifetime
    1. Re:Fool of an MP by wvmarle · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Actually the porn/arousal part was the last on my mind when I read the headline.

      The first thing I thought is, how are we going to record any actual child abuse? How about social workers detailing such events, are they falling foul of the law with their reports?

      Probably there will be some exception there.

      For the rest, from the face of it, this suggestion sounds a bit like "let's bury it, then it doesn't exist any more". Like how the Party tried to introduce Newspeak, key of which was not so much a "simplification" of the language but the absence of certain words (like "democracy") so people would have no way to think about or discuss those concepts.

    2. Re:Fool of an MP by freman · · Score: 5, Insightful

      We need to outlaw children - that way paedophiles can't see them anywhere, can't hear of them, can't imagine them and in a generation it'll be pointless.

  2. Does this surprise anyone? by JoshuaZ · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This is the logical culmination. We've already had decisions that making a sexual cartoon involving Bart Simpson is child porn http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7770781.stm. This isn't much farther than that.

    1. Re:Does this surprise anyone? by Chrisq · · Score: 5, Funny

      By that account the 2012 olympic logo should have been banned - it was well known that this depicts Lisa Simpson giving someone a blowjob.

  3. It's about time by hawguy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's about time someone is passing a law against any written words about any illegal or illicit activity. Let's burn all the crime mysteries since they just foster and encourage people to commit crimes and murders. And those thrillers that glorify spies and espionage are a clear threat to governments anywhere. Any book that describes any immoral activity should be immediately banned as well, if no one reads about adultery they'll never commit adultery.

    From now on, only stories about unicorns and rainbows should be allowed to be published.

    Child abuse is abhorrent and should be severely punished, but is there any evidence that reading any type of extreme (or non-extreme) porn leads one to perform that activity?

    1. Re:It's about time by Dyinobal · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Stories about unicorns just fuel for beastiality fantasies.

    2. Re:It's about time by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 5, Funny

      May be the teenager is from one of states, and her parent gave the vampire their consent?

      No, no - you have to give permission for a vampire to enter your house, not your daughter.

      --
      systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  4. My first hand experience by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I was molested as a child (by a relative, but not my parents), and it seriously messed me up. When I was a teen, I sought help though online support groups, and really healed a lot though talking about it. I'm still not really normal, but it could have been a lot worse. Should I be prosecuted for posting my story (including some details) online in the forum where I received so much help?
    This is utterly absurd.

  5. Re:The slope by serviscope_minor · · Score: 5, Informative

    The slope is long and slippery

    The slippery slope argument is usually a bad one.

    Not in this case. There is evidence that the slope is not only slippery, but steep, with a tail wind and a hoard of Daily Mail readers standing at the top willing to give a good shove to any hapless fool who they can get their hands on.

    Some examples:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ore aka "Sorry we ruined your life and made you die, but it turns out that your stolen creit card was used by pedos. kthxbye"

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/12/nick-cohen-simon-walsh-cps-pornography-prosecution aka "Let's haul some poor bastard over the coals and wreck his life to test a badly written new law"

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulation_of_Investigatory_Powers_Act_2000 aka "You have no right to silence. But only if you're a terrorist. NOT hahaha! Also if we think you might be a pedo. Good luck proving you can't remember something"

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coroners_and_Justice_Act_2009 aka "It's illegal if people think that it looks illegal even if it is provably legal otherwise. Good luck with that you filthy pedo lol"

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/6918001/Man-cleared-of-porn-charge-after-tiger-sex-image-found-to-be-joke.html aka "Friend sends you a legal joke video SO WE'LL RUIN YOUR LIFE!!!"

    etc.

    It is entirely clear that this slope is slippery and lunatics like Beresford take a perverted glee in adding libricant.

    If a law can be used for ill, sooner or later it will be eve nif the MPs claim it won't.

    If a law is broad, the only reason *you* haven't been prosecuted is blind luck, not because you haven't done anything wrong.

    A funny thing to do would be to send some random data to this MP, and tell the police (anonymously) that you sent him encrypted kiddie porn for money. Make sure you snail mail a few copies on USB sticks as well, and include some legal but dubious stuff in the clear, too. Then the stupid bastard ought to have to prove his innocence under his own law.

    That would never happen, but I can't think of anyone more deserving for it to happen to.

    --
    SJW n. One who posts facts.