porn channel an abomination

i read this on-line today and sent it to everyone in my email address book. i hope each one of them will send it to everyone in their address book and so on and that everyone will write to the crtc voicing their objections. i hope that everyone will also write to their cable or satellite provider so that with enough objections the cable and satellite providers will not add the channel to its service list so they will not get a contract and the licence will expire.

Porn Channel an Abomination
Fred Henry, For The Calgary Herald
Published: Tuesday, August 26, 2008

The CRTC approved a Canadian pay-television pornography channel called Northern Peaks last week on the basis that 50 per cent of its pornographic content would be produced in Canada, which in turn, will also lead to the creation of a pornography industry in Canada.

In justifying its decision, the CRTC argues that it never takes a moral perspective on the contents of the applications it reviews. This explanation is not only ludicrous in itself but simply not credible because the CRTC has been noticeably reluctant over the years to license religious broadcasting.

Without question, pornography has a devastating impact upon all of society, especially women and young children. Pornography teaches that women enjoy "forced" or perverse sexual activity; advocates prostitution, exhibitionism and voyeurism as normal behaviour; and regards women as sex objects to be used for one's self-gratification.

For some men, the regular use of pornography normalizes aggression toward women in sexual and other interpersonal encounters, and increases the tolerance for such aggression against women in the larger culture.

Sadly, the greatest impact may be on the young, especially males 12 through 17 years of age, because pornography portrays sexual activity outside of marriage as acceptable without the dire consequences of AIDS or other venereal diseases, and without the responsibility toward conceiving a human life.

These assertions are supported by criminal evidence. A proven direct correlation exists between crimes of rape, child abuse, and the physical abuse of a spouse, and the proliferation of pornographic materials and the presence of live porn and sexually oriented businesses in a community.

Pornography is not simply linked to a "one time, one action" phenomenon, but may become like a spiritual cancer that corrupts the person.

Dr. Victor Cline has posited four progressive effects of pornography:
(1) addiction, where the need to view pornographic materials leads to a loss of free control over behaviour;
(2) escalation, where the person delves into progressively harder pornography, usually to attain the same level of sensation and arousal;
(3) desensitization, whereby the user is no longer morally sensitive to the shocking, illegal, repulsive, perverted or immoral quality of the material, but instead views it as acceptable and begins to look upon others as objects; and
(4) acting out, where the fantasizing becomes overt behaviour.

Additionally from a moral point of view, there are three reasons why pornography is wrong and sinful behaviour for individuals.

First, pornography offends the dignity of the participants (actors, vendors, the public). Each one is exploited himself or exploits others in some way for personal pleasure or gain. In all cases, the dignity of the human being -- whether the person posing, the person producing, the person distributing, or the person enjoying -- is debased.

Second, those who engage in pornography immerse themselves in a fantasy world, withdrawing from reality. While genuine love always involves a self-giving of oneself for the good of others, pornography entices a person to withdraw into a selfish world of perverted fantasy which may later be acted out to the detriment of oneself and others. This problem has increased dramatically, since the Internet offers "virtual reality" sexual interaction.

Third, pornography offends against the virtue of chastity and constitutes an assault on marriage. Each of us must respect the sanctity of our own human sexuality, which involves the integration of his physical and spiritual being. Furthermore, conjugal love which reflects the union of husband and wife, and the enactment of their vows is sacred. The conjugal act ought to express that faithful, permanent, exclusive, self-giving and life-giving love between husband and wife.

Economic values that are important today must include the enhancement of people, not their exploitation and debasement.

In making its decision on Northern Peaks, the CRTC specified that the channel would only be given its formal licence if at least one cable or satellite provider agrees to add the channel to its service list. The channel has three years to obtain such a contract or else the licence will expire.

Consider writing to your own cable provider (name and address available on your monthly bill) and advise it that if it includes this pornographic channel on its service list, you will immediately switch providers. If the cable provider believes that doing so will harm business -- the company will refuse the pornography channel.

In addition, write to the CRTC, Ottawa, Ont. K1A 0N2, Fax: 819-994-0218, raising your objections to its approval of this channel -- Canadian content or not.
Fred Henry is the Catholic bishop of Calgary.


Keep the porn channel out of Canada
The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Re: Stop porn channel, family group says, Aug. 22.

I think Charles McVety of the Canada Family Action Coalition is right: Canadian content is no compensation for an increase in pornography.
When I read your news article on the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission's (CRTC) decision to licence a pornography channel, my first thought was "What good are they?" (The CRTC, that is).
I object to having my tax dollars run an organization that is either unable or unwilling to protect Canadian women from continued sexual degradation, objectification, and exploitation.
Maybe it's time to get rid of both of them, the CRTC and the pornographers.
Peggy Lynn Kelly, Nepean
© The Ottawa Citizen 2008