A senator described how she recently telephoned a sex chat service and was asked whether she wanted the depravity or the perversion line. Ms Therese Ridge (FG) highlighted what she termed the ready availability of pornography, printed, audio and visual, in this State. She said she would seek to have the Child Trafficking and Pornography Bill amended to outlaw newspaper advertisements for this so-called service which shamefully exploited children's curiosity.
She said the flood of pornographic filth was increasing daily. Our 70-year-old censorship legislation needed urgently to be updated.
Contributing to the Second Stage debate on the Bill, Dr Mary Henry (Ind) said it was highly unsatisfactory that it had taken so long to introduce such legislation. She wished such action had been taken 30 years ago, particularly given the new report outlining sex abuse in the swimming arena during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.