A Republican proposal making it a class 2 misdemeanor to sell or distribute pornographic material to a minor was nearly gutted today by ruling Democrats in the Senate. In the end, Senate Bill 125, sponsored by the GOP's Sen. Ted Harvey, of Highlands Ranch, passed in tact before being sent to the Appropriations Committee.
Colorado is one of just seven states that do not have a law against selling or giving pornographic material to a child.
An amendment offered by Democrats would have kept porn sales to children legal, instead turning the bill into what Republicans dismissed as a less effective prohibition on using pornography in the commission of sex crimes against children.
"I consider (the amendment) to be a shame," Harvey told fellow senators. "The average citizen would think it's illegal to sell porn to a minor, but it's not."
Republicans were able to rally with a timely counter-amendment by Republican Sen. Mike Kopp, of Littleton, who resurrected the bill's original intent. It combined the Democrat version with the original Republican one, winning lopsided approval.
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"Overwhelming research shows that the viewing of pornography as a minor has a very harmful effect on children.” |
“Overwhelming research shows that the viewing of pornography as a minor has a very harmful effect on children,” said Harvey during the bill's debut in a Senate committee last week. “This often results in early sexual experimentation. The preponderance of evidence also shows that a large percentage of sexual offenders are addicted to porn.”
The District Attorney's Council confirmed in its testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee that it is indeed legal at present to sell pornography to minors in Colorado.
The committee passed the measure unamended 4-2, with the two no votes coming from committee Democrats. One of those was Sen. Brandon Shaffer, of Longmont, who also led today's Democrat effort to change the direction of SB 125.
As the dust settled on today's vote, Harvey expressed frustration with the push-back from the other side of the aisle.
"Senate Bill 125 is an attempt to protect minors from material that has been deemed harmful. It is long overdue,” he said.
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Sen. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch, argues his Senate Bill 125 before the full Senate. The bill would greatly stiffen the penalty for giving pornographic material to a minor--it passed and was sent to Senate Committee on Appropriations. |
