From: nobody@REPLAY.COM (Anonymous)
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 1998 19:27:09 -0800 (PST)
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: The Eighth Word You Can't Say On The Internet
Message-ID: <199803180327.EAA11046@basement.replay.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Armies Gather by Jeff Elliott 

The most surprising place where anti-abortion provisions have appeared,
however,
                   was in the mammoth Telecommunications Deregulation
Bill. Late in the day of January 30th,
                   Colorado Representative Pat Schroeder made an
unpleasant discovery: a last-minute addition
                   appeared to make it a crime to discuss abortion on
the Internet. 

                   The Telcom Bill already had the controversial
"Communications Decency Act" that made it a felony
                   to mention the seven dirty words forbidden on radio
or TV; that was well known, and much
                   discussed in both the House and the Senate. But this
abortion clause was new, and would make
                   "abortion" the eighth word banned from cyberspace. 

                   The ACLU and 19 other organizations filed for a
temporary restraining order on the same day that
                   Clinton signed the bill. But while the federal judge
ruled, the vague "indecency" provisions were
                   probably unconstitutional and should be heard by a
special 3-judge panel, the restraining order on
                   the abortion section was denied. 

                   Schroeder and others are trying to repeal the ancient
law behind these restrictions, but passage in the
                   rightward-tilted House is far from certain.