[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 32 (Tuesday, March 2, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H835]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              CHILD PORNOGRAPHY SOLD IN RETAIL BOOKSTORES

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, people would be astounded to learn in America 
that many public, commercial bookstores throughout the United States 
are allowed to sell child pornography. I am not talking about adult 
book stores.
  I was shocked recently to learn that bookstores like Barnes and Noble 
and Borders are selling books that show young girls and boys completely 
nude in suggestive, erotic positions. These children are photographed 
alone or shown erotically entangled with other young children. Further, 
many of the captions for the pictures are sexually explicit.
  Mr. Speaker, this is an outrage. Child pornography feeds the sick 
minds of child molesters who sexually prey on defenseless children who 
live in our neighborhoods.
  What has the Clinton administration done to protect these children? 
They have turned a blind eye to some of the most offensive child 
pornography there is. The administration has not enforced Federal 
obscenity laws, after promising to make this a priority.
  Please join me in calling on the administration to enforce our 
existing Federal obscenity laws.

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