Prohibiting Obscene Material (S 2595)

We opposed legislation, which would, according to the explanation, prohibit “the distribution, transfer, or possession of any material that depicts a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct and is obscene and lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.” We noted that the goal of this legislation was unclear to us, given that Rhode Island already has four separate laws (some of which we believe are of dubious constitutionality) addressing identical, or virtually identical, conduct. The need for yet another statute on the subject is very questionable, to say the least. We also noted that this legislation is overbroad and could potentially chill the possession and creation of legitimate literature and artwork.