Pornography its Moral and Social Impact on U. S

The word "pornography" comes from the Greek words "porno and "graphia" meaning "depictions of the activities of whores." In common parlance, it usually means "material that is sexually explicit and intended primarily for the purpose of sexual arousal."Obscenity," however, is a legal term which was defined by the U.S. Supreme Court in its 1973 Miller V. California decision. For something to be found obscene, and therefore the material has to meet all three tests before it can be found obscene in the eyes of the law and its distribution prohibited. This means that something could be regarded as "pornographic" but still not be obscene, such as an explicit sex film produced and used to teach medical students about human sexuality, or a film or book with serious artistic and/or literary value which has some explicit sexual content. Thus, the Supreme Court has protected a wide variety of sexual matter in movies, books, magazines and in other formats from being prohibited for sale and exhibition to adults (there is a stricter standard with respect to minors). Under the Miller test, however, the distribution of pornographic material which is obscene, such as most of what has been called "hardcore," can be prohibited and penalties proscribed.