[Volokh] Eugene Volokh: Australia Bans Internet Access to Web Pages with Pictures of Aborted Fetuses?

[notify at powerblogs.com]

Posted by Eugene Volokh:
Australia Bans Internet Access to Web Pages with Pictures of Aborted Fetuses?
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2009_03_15-2009_03_21.shtml#1237309049


   That appears to be so according to [1]a news site run by The
   Australian newspaper. [2]The Australian blog Somebody Think Of The
   Children publishes what is said to be an e-mail from the government
   agency expressing its position (the text is consistent with one of the
   e-mails that The Australian is reporting about).

   The site mentioned in the e-mail,
   [3]http://www.abortiontv.com/Pics/AbortionPictures6.htm, indeed
   contains what purport to be pictures of aborted fetuses. They are
   quite gruesome, but in my view quite clearly legitimate aspects of
   political debate -- even if one accepts the position (in my view an
   unsound position, but one that Western democracies outside the U.S.
   have generally accepted) that incitement to racial or religious
   violence or even racial or religious hostility is permissible.

   According to [4]the Australian Minister for Communications, Stephen
   Conroy,

     Freedom of speech is fundamentally important in a democratic
     society and there has never been any suggestion that the Australian
     Government would seek to block political content.

   Thanks to [5]BNA's Internet Law News for the pointer.

References

   1. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,,25181408-15306,00.html
   2. http://www.somebodythinkofthechildren.com/acma-anti-abortion-prohibited/
   3. http://www.abortiontv.com/Pics/AbortionPictures6.htm
   4. http://www.minister.dbcde.gov.au/media/speeches/2009/address_to_alia_information_online_conference_and_exhibition
   5. http://www.bna.com/ilaw/