Washington, DC (May 8, 2012) – “In response to the ruling of the New York Court of Appeals yesterday decriminalizing the purposeful viewing of child pornography on the Internet, Patrick Trueman, President of Morality in Media issued the following statement:
Child pornography is the photographic record of the sexual abuse of a child so it is a singular outrage that the highest court in New York State has decriminalized the act of viewing of child pornography by computer.
Children live with shame and hurt from knowing that a record of their abuse circulates on the Internet. Each time these photos are viewed, the child is revictimized. Some children never recover from the experience.
Child pornography should be treated as a very serious violation of the human dignity of the victims and those who take enjoyment from the despicable act of viewing such material should be harshly punished. What the New York court has done is to give permission to pedophiles and child molesters to continue the sexual molestation and recording of child sex abuse.
We call upon the United States Attorney for the Southern District to immediately move to arrest and prosecute the defendant for violating federal child pornography laws. As the Court of Appeals decision recognizes, this conduct is prosecutable under federal law. In addition, we demand that the Attorney General and the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention authorize the New York City and State, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces to take over all child pornography possession cases currently being prosecuted by New York State Prosecutors and investigated by the Task Forces until this opinion is overturned.
The New York State Legislature has its work cut out for it and it should act immediately.
About Patrick Trueman
Patrick Trueman currently serves as President and CEO of Morality In Media. He is the former chief of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section at the U.S. Department of Justice during the Reagan and Bush I administrations.
