Catholics Should Lead on Banning Porn, by Patrick Reilly

Catholic colleges have a great responsibility in preparing students not only for this life, but also for God.

By Patrick Reilly, National Catholic Register, 12/14/19

Like many Catholics, I was encouraged by U.S. lawmakers’ plea for better enforcement of obscenity laws against pornography. What I find troubling, however, is that few Catholic colleges are leading by example.

As even companies like Starbucks and Tumblr move to block pornography on their internet networks—a rather simple thing to do—it seems like common sense that Catholic colleges would also install porn filters to avoid streaming smut to their students. But at the University of Notre Dame, students are the ones begging for a filter, and still the administration is unwilling to take a simple step toward decency and respect.

By contrast, several of the faithful Catholic colleges recommended in The Newman Guide block pornography on their Wi-Fi networks and go out of their way to encourage chastity on campus.

One of the arguments against such filters is that blocking porn would violate “free speech.” Social media has been abuzz with vigorous debate over the limits of government authority. But that has no relevance to a private college’s behavioral expectations, which are intended to form the character of young adults as much as they also protect the rights of those whose dignity and often safety are endangered by the sleazy porn industry.  ….

Read more here  https://www.ncregister.com/blog/reilly/catholics-should-lead-on-banning-porn?fbclid=IwAR3GNd6ZeNMLwdEXNSGYc_qlwEM4Kxd-lBMeuOf0b3wVsHd-FiMtsrUULwE