The Anti-Pornography Feminist Movement I dont need statistics to tell me that there is a relationship between pornography My body remembers. This chilling testimony from a female rapevictim to a grand jury in 1983 represents the evils that pornography represents in theUnited States. There are strong correlations between sex crimes and pornography thathave divided feminists over whether free speech is worth the sheer magnitude ofsex-crime victims. Free speech is protected by the First Amendment and most peoplehave differing views on its meaning. One thing that cannot be ignored is the fact that90% of sexual offenders have used pornography frequently. I believe that theanti-pornography movement is not only just, but essential. I would like to explorevarious aspects of the anti-pornography movement including the history, players, rhetoricand the impact. I believe that shedding light on the ways that pornography effects humanbeings, we will feel differently about the freedom of speech.In the 1960s and 1970s, debates over pornography mirrored thecounter-cultures battle with conservative values. The 1969 case Stanley v. Georgia,community standards were challenged and the court upheld the civil rights forconsumers to possess pornography in their homes. However, the 1970s brought aboutthe VCR and feminists began to redefine pornography to explore the impact of the pornindustry on women and their place in society. Though many feminists were frightened bythe prospect that they may be working hand in hand with conservatives to regulate thispractice, many women jumped to action when new surveys and statistics were revealedabout pornography and women. To most of these women, the immorality was not thesexual content, but its violation of a womans dignity, a lie about who women are andwhat they want.Out of these theories, writers like Andrea Dworkin, Catherine MacKinnon andDr. Diana Russell founded and encouraged many anti-porn groups ar...
