The ethics of pornography

What is ethical pornography? Some people would say those two words don't belong together. One thing we can all agree on is that child pornography is unethical. It is also illegal. Child pornography is actually very hard to find. The chances of accidentally downloading it are very slim, but it does happen. Dr. David Ley, in his book "Ethical Porn," tells about a California man who downloaded a bootleg copy of a Hollywood movie from a file-sharing website. Embedded in it was child pornography. The movie was being used as a vehicle to distribute the child pornography. According to Ley, that unfortunate man was convicted of possession of child pornography and ended up on the sex offender registry. There is an interconnected web of international law enforcement agencies working together against child porn. How did they find the California man mentioned above? His IP address. This man had promptly deleted the child porn from his computer, but his IP address was still incriminating. In the unlikely event that you accidentally download child pornography or see a child porn website, report it to law enforcement immediately. It can be reported to local law enforcement or to 800-843-5678. It can also be reported online at www.cybertipline.com. Do not delete anything until the investigation is over, and be prepared to surrender your computer. Ethical producers of pornography follow the law. The Child Protection and Obscenity Act of 1988 requires pornography producers to get valid proof of actors' ages and keep records of it. Pornography that is produced by amateurs, is from outside our country or is bootlegged may not follow this law. Ethical porn producers are also careful that all parties consent to the activity. In addition, they have their actors tested for sexually transmitted infections at least once a month. The pornography industry, just like any other industry, tailors itself to what consumers want. If you are a consumer of pornography, make sure you watch ethical porn. Look for porn produced in this country by a company that has been around for a while. Paying for porn increases the likelihood that it is ethical. Goebel-Komala, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist who has been doing general practice for 18 years and is now qualified to treat relationship and sexual issues. She can be reached at 419-889-7807.