Bishops take aim at ‘evil’ porn

File picture: Pornography use in particular was more closely linked to those participants who were not married than any other form of Internet use.

File picture: Pornography use in particular was more closely linked to those participants who were not married than any other form of Internet use.

Published Aug 11, 2014

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Cape Town - The Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference has come out in support of a court attempt to overturn the decision by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) to allow three adult content television channels to show pornography from 8pm.

The Western Cape High Court is to hear the Justice Alliance of South Africa’s application on Monday.

The channels are Playboy TV, Desire TV and Private Spice.

The bishops’ conference said it was opposed to the broadcasting of pornography.

“Pornography is destructive of persons, detrimental to our society and is evil.

“Any form of commercialisation and screening of pornographic sex is exploitative, engenders addiction and can only bring about degradation of everyone involved.”

Entertainment should enrich human dignity, not diminish it, the bishops said.

“We call upon all people of goodwill, especially those with the responsibility of decision-making, to do all in their power to protect our people, in particular women and youth, from this evil.”

The Justice Alliance has said it “is a step too far to introduce pornography to the family television, which is usually in the only living room in the home”. Children would “inevitably be aware of it”. Also, 8pm was the time that teenagers settled down to watch after doing homework.

Cape Times

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