The Canadian public, not to mention law-enforcement authorities, will feel a real sense of relief at yesterday's balanced Supreme Court ruling on child pornography. The court upheld the ban on possession of child porn.
Possession is wrong because it creates a market for the product.
The apprehension of harm is reason enough to act. The ruling was long overdue. Police had claimed the legal limbo surrounding the law made it harder for them to go after pedophiles and porn rings. Yesterday's decision will allow about 100 child-pornography cases pending across the country to be prosecuted. In Quebec, about 20 cases involving the possession of child porn can now go ahead.