ED ads: Begone!

Once upon a time, parents were involved in their children's lives, and monitored what they watched on tv or listened to on the radio. Parents decided for themselves what was objectionable content for their own children, and limited their children's exposure to such content.

But now, in an age where the government raises our children, parents don't need to worry about objectionable content. Last month, Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) introduced H.R. 2175 to Congress and it now sits in the Committee on Energy and Commerce. Moran's inspiration for H.R. 2175, or the "Families for ED Advertising Decency Act," is his concern over his grandkids seeing commercials for ED medications like Viagra and Levitra. So, he wants to be able to limit ED ads to only airtime between 10pm and 6am.

I'm not that big of a fan of watching old guys smile and crook their fingers at their female partners who are apparently ecstatic that their men have taken a pill that makes them available for sexual activity for 36 hours at time. (Though I do admit to always being amused at the 4-hour erection disclaimers. Would you really wait 4 hours?) But when I see something on tv that I don't like, or that I don't want to see, I change the channel, or don't pay attention to it. I don't call the FCC.

Moran claims to have some perspective on his bill:

"While it’s not as important as the economy, or what’s happening militarily around the world, it is an intrusion into the quality of life that we like to experience."

I do agree that ED ads are not as important as a recession, or an unwinnable war we shouldn't be involved in. But the issue isn't really about ED ads. The Families for ED Advertising Decency Act" wants to have the FCC consider ED ads obscene and modify its existing code.

Within 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Federal Communications Commission shall revise the Commission's interpretations of, and enforcement policies concerning, section 73.3999 of the Commission's regulations (47 CFR 73.3999), relating to indecent material that no licensee of a radio or television broadcast station shall broadcast on any day between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., to treat as indecent for such purposes any advertisement for a medication for the treatment of erectile dysfunction or for male enhancement. This section shall not require treating as indecent any product placement or other display or mention merely of the trademarked name or generic name for such a medication.

At the heart of the issue is censorship- a group of people deciding what a larger group of people can see or hear. H.R. 2175 is going to take away citizens' rights to decide for themselves if ED ads are too obscene for viewing between 6am and 10pm. What's going to be next? Will birth control ads be restricted as well? What about STI medications? Where does it end?