For Immediate Release - May 10, 2001


NEW YORK, NY -- From Huckleberry Finn to Harry Potter, from Internet filters to the v-chip, censorship exercised on behalf of children and adolescents is often based on the assumption that they must be protected from "indecent" information that might harm their development -- whether in art, in literature, or on a Web site. But where does this assumption come from, and is it true?

With Senator Joe Lieberman's latest censorship initiative threatening the film and music industries for marketing "inappropriate" material to youth, this issue could not be more timely. Congress' "abstinence-unless-marriage" sex education program, which denies students critical health information about contraception and safer sex, is also up for reauthorization this year.

Finally, a book has come along that offers a dispassionate analysis of the "harmful-to-minors" justification for censorship, from early obscenity laws to contemporary battles over sex education in public schools and violence in the media.

Not in Front of the Children: "Indecency," Censorship and the Innocence of Youth, by First Amendment attorney and scholar Marjorie Heins, explores the fascinating history of "indecency" laws and other restrictions aimed at protecting youth. From Plato's argument for rigid censorship, through Victorian laws aimed at repressing libidinous thoughts, Heins guides us through what became, and remains, an ideological minefield. With examples drawn from around the globe, she suggests that the "harm to minors" argument rests on shaky foundations, and that much more effective, non-censorial methods exist for educating youth to be media literate and sexually responsible.

Marjorie Heins, director of the Free Expression Policy Project at the National Coalition Against Censorship, is also the author of Sex, Sin, and Blasphemy: A Guide to America's Censorship Wars.

For more on Not in Front of the Children click here

Journalists: For a press copy of Not in Front of the Children, or to speak with the author, contact the Free Expression Policy Project by e-mail.

Others: If you are unable to obtain a copy of Not in Front of the Children through your local bookstore, please send a check or money order made payable to the National Coalition Against Censorship for $30.00 (includes $3.00 S/H) to the address below:

Attention: Sales Department-National Coalition Against Censorship, 275 Seventh Ave, 9th Floor, New York, NY 11222.

Or order a copy directly through the web site of the National Coalition Against Censorship by clicking here.

Reviews:

"A timely appeal to our better judgment. Heins traces the history of our illusions about juvenile innocence, as well as our endeavors to preserve that myth through censorship. ... She dissects the effort to restrict material 'harmful to minors,' which has become the favorite conservative cause of moderate politicians. ... Indecency, the moral concept disguised by this bogus concept of harmfulness, is itself disparate, subtle, and subjective." -- Mother Jones

"Not in Front of the Children is an indispensable resource for anyone curious about censorship designed to 'protect' young people, and an eloquent argument for more thoughtful dialogue about helping kids grow up without stifling their spirit." -- Judy Blume

"A well-researched and thoughtful review of the history of censorship of 'indecent' materials. ... Heins dissects the arguments made over the centuries by those claiming that books, film, radio, and the Internet can cause 'harm to minors.' ... a well-reasoned argument that censorship in the name of children harms them more than it helps." -- Library Journal