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By Mark Wright
Utah Calls on Houston for Porn Problem
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH -- Paula J. Houston, the "Obscenity and
Pornography Complaints Ombudsman" for the state of Utah, is in the
news again. If the early fascination with her new position provides
any indication, she'd better get used to the limelight. Mormon News
first reported on Houston and her new position on March 9th and this
article is a follow-up. As reported earlier, Houston is a member of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is also a
returned missionary for the Church, having served 18 months in New
Zealand.
As Utah's "Porn Czar", Houston has been given a challenging
assignment, balancing the state of Utah's desire to regulate
potentially pornographic material and allowing legitimate expression
to co-exist. The difficulty of this assignment is not lost on
Houston. She notes that local officials need to be educated on how to
strike the appropriate balance, within the limits of the law.
Accordingly, Houston's near term objectives include assisting local
municipalities and governmental organizations develop and enforce
standards for controlling pornography and other adult-themed
materials within the guidelines of free speech as embodied in the
First Amendment.
As an active member of the Church, Houston clearly understands the
tensions that exist between her personal religious views and the law
of the land. "I feel sexually oriented businesses are damaging and
degrading to women," she said. "But the Supreme Court allows them as
legitimate businesses as long as they operate within the confines of
the law and ordinances written to allow them." Houston will get an
opportunity in the near future to see how well her views are
accepted. Her draft proposals regarding regulating pornography and
adult-oriented businesses are scheduled to be considered by the Utah
State Legislature later this year.
While Houston and her new position enjoy relatively broad support
from many Utahns, not everyone is excited about Houston's new calling
in life. For example, Stephen C. Clark, currently serving as the
legal director of the Utah office of the American Civil Liberties
Union, believes that the state of Utah, is making a mistake. He
believes the moral positions of the Church, and the 70% of the Utah's
residents who are members of the Church, are being inappropriately
forced on the other residents of the state. In Clark's opinion, "To
throw the weight of the state behind a particular moral view is
unnecessary at best and potentially dangerous."
Houston disputes Clark's assertions and believes that communities
have the right to determine what kind of materials are available in
the community. She also believes that most communities need help in
this complex and volatile arena. According to Houston, "Pornography
is an issue that tends to take a back seat to other issues because
it's more complicated. As a prosecutor for a city or county, you deal
with 100 other things and don't have time to concentrate on one issue
like this." Houston knows whereof she speaks. Prior to accepting her
new assignment, she worked as a West Valley City prosecutor for more
than 10 years, successfully prosecuting a number of
pornography-related cases.
While the rest of the country looks on, Ms. Houston clearly
understands that every decision she makes will be subjected to the
withering scrutiny of public opinion. "It's daunting. Everyone is
watching to see how the program develops. Good or bad, they're going
to be all over it." Given Ms. Houston's high profile in the media so
far, that may even be an understatement.
Source:
First State Porn Czar, in Utah, Is Set to Draw a Fine Line
New York Times 24Mar01 T2
By Michael Janofsky
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