Ukraine slaps ban on all porn
Unless you're sick: Then it's OK
By John Ozimek •
Opinion Porn is now illegal in the Ukraine, unless used for medicinal purposes. Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko last week signed off on new legislation joining the Ukraine to an ever-lengthening list of countries that have decided to move the censorship goalposts over the last few years, from publication of porn on to simple possession of it. Ironically, the world may have a bizarre coalition of puritan New Labour and evangeligising Americans to thank for this giant leap forward for moral mankind.
On June 11, the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian parliament) made possession of pornography – not extreme porn, but ANY porn – a criminal offence. It will be punishable by a fine of 850 hryvnia - which our currency converter helpfully reveals is approximately 69 British pounds - or up to three years in prison. As in the UK, this is a significant shift in the law, which previously only concerned itself with those who produced or distributed pornography.
The problem with this legislation is that the only available definition of porn comes from 2003 legislation, which states, according to the English language version of the Kyev Times:
"Pornography is vulgar, candid, cynical, obscene depiction of sexual acts, pursuing no other goal, the explicit demonstration of genitals, unethical elements of the sexual act, sexual perversions, realistic sketches that do not meet moral criteria and offend honour and dignity of the human by inciting low instincts."
It is not clear whether this is a literal translation of confused law – or an attack of "Babel-itis" on the part of that paper.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's Ministry of Justice appears to have complicated the legislation even further by conceding that porn may be retained "for medicinal purposes".
So is this all homegrown? Or is there a wider agenda at work here? Is it mere co-incidence that highly moralistic legislation – on porn and prostitution, for instance - appears to be springing up simultaneously in widely differing countries?
Researchers in the field of sexual relations have complained for some time that the Bush era meant it was impossible to pursue any research – even in the UK - that failed to address issues in ways that aligned with the fairly narrow moral agenda of US neo-conservatives.
Back in the UK, in May 2004, Labour MP David Lepper boasted in parliament of how he and a number of fellow MP’s, concerned by the Graham Coutts case, had put forward a five-point plan to Ministers for controlling extreme porn. The five points were:
Persuading internet service providers, search engine companies and web hosting companies to block access to extreme porn
Criminalising the possession of extreme porn
Better international co-operation in dealing with extreme images on the internet
A souped up role for Ofcom
Requiring credit card companies to put a financial squeeze on the providers of extreme images
This plan was received favourably by then Home Secretary, David Blunkett, who raised it in discussion with his counterparts in the United States. The same issues were then raised with countries in the G8 and Europe.
Whilst few countries have put in place all of the above measures, it almost certainly is no co-incidence that many have adopted several of them over the last few years, either following direct representation, or in an effort to curry favour with the West.
Ukrainian moralising may therefore be of a home grown variety, or it may just be the latest example of "me too" bandwagon-jumping. ®
Last edited by Dreamofunity : 09-07-2009 at 07:37 PM.
Haha, David Lepper is/was my local MP.
I met him when I was younger.
He's come into politics society at college too and I'm fairly sure this issue was raised at a session.
He's a bit of a blundering fool tbh.
wow, they are actually doing that in the UK? that's kind of crazy, i'm surprised they can actually do that. I don't think i've ever heard of anything like that in the U.S... I think that would go against "freedom of speech" or something here, not dead sure. I know there are some disorders where males have to masturbate, such as a disorder that causes hardening of the foreskin. It might be to help with that. Or maybe if they are having... buildup and they have to release it? Not sure if that's possible though...
- Judge someone not by how they treat their equals but by how they treat their inferiors. -
- Light a man a fire, warm him for a day. Light a man on fire, warm him for the rest of his life. -
Warum schreist du nicht? Warum verschenkst du dich? Warum qualst du dich? Wenn der Regnet fellt weist du es.
hahaha, i'm not that dense ^^ lol, does seem it though. I totally skipped the part about ukraine and went to the part where it was talking about the different bills in parliament. like the five point plan to the ministers. And then how it spread to the G8 and Europe. That's what I meant. unless i'm still wrong... i'm not good at politics
- Judge someone not by how they treat their equals but by how they treat their inferiors. -
- Light a man a fire, warm him for a day. Light a man on fire, warm him for the rest of his life. -
Warum schreist du nicht? Warum verschenkst du dich? Warum qualst du dich? Wenn der Regnet fellt weist du es.
Haha, sorry!
No, it's not going through in the UK at the moment (as much as anything else, I think we've had four? different Home Secretaries since him!) - these rules may be in place, but I've certainly heard nothing about them.
still find it strange they would try and pass that. I think people would throw a fit here in the U.S. cause americans love freedom of speech. are they not so worried about that in the UK? oh well, moot point
- Judge someone not by how they treat their equals but by how they treat their inferiors. -
- Light a man a fire, warm him for a day. Light a man on fire, warm him for the rest of his life. -
Warum schreist du nicht? Warum verschenkst du dich? Warum qualst du dich? Wenn der Regnet fellt weist du es.
Honestly, I'm totally okay with this. :) I don't see porn as a freedom of speech... I see it as a way to promote abusive behavior and ruin intimacy in sexual relationships.
I never thought I'd like the idea of banning something like this... but... all I can think is... THIS IS AWESOME. XD
Life:
it's all about perspective.
So when it isn't going well for you,
just try looking at it in a whole new way.
No matter what your opinions are, banning something people want is an immensely moronic act of stupidity.
We banned marijuana, and created a black market for something that is really no worse than alcohol.
We tried banning alcohol for a while, and y'know... Created a time rift in history that caused an alternate timeline where Hitler's parents met and had a baby, and now we are trying to ban porn, which is just turning an every day activity into a crime. Anyone care to police this? Or foot the costs for someone else to?
Also, lol@ moral porn opposition. D'ya really think they are being exploited? Those poor porn stars with all their kinky sex and piles of money...
Benji's Weekly Insight:
I have a Tonberry teddy called Grudge.
Then wear the gold hat, if that will move her;
If you can bounce high, bounce for her too,
Till she cry "Lover, gold-hatted, high-bouncing lover,
I must have you!"
Thomas Parke D’Invilliers
“The good things don’t always soften the bad, but vice-versa, the bad things don’t necessarily spoil the good things and make them unimportant.”
“Nobody important? Blimey, that’s amazing. Do you know, in nine hundred years of time and space I’ve never met anyone who wasn’t important before.”
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