This new statute does not restrict the rights of adults or parents to view sexual or violent material, nor does it prohibit anyone from producing such items. Rather, it lets parents make decisions about what material is appropriate for their children. The Post's editorial suggests that the juvenile justice legislation is not the most appropriate venue for consideration of this legislation. To be truly responsive, Congress must identify and address the influences that cause young people to become violent. The law is a teacher, and the lesson we ought to learn is that no child should be exposed to violent obscenity.
Parents ultimately bear the responsibility for the environment in which their children are raised.
Absentee parents cannot oversee what their children are absorbing from television, computers and music. Children who are left without adult supervision are more prone to become victims of pushers of glorified and gratuitous violence. We can pass laws to keep this garbage out of the hands of kids, but parents have to guide their children away from the polluting environment the greedy purveyors of violence are eager to sell. The writer, a Republican representative from Illinois, is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.