ACLU defends teens charged in 'sexting' scandal

[kwilliams1130]

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Legal/Default.aspx?id=472172

Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 4/2/2009 5:20:00 AM

A Pennsylvania district attorney is threatening to charge three students with distribution of child pornography for sending indecent photos of themselves via cell phone.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on behalf of the three girls who sent "scantily clad and naked" pictures of themselves to male students, who then traded them on their cell phones, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
 
Pat Trueman, special counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, says charges have actually been filed in other parts of the nation. "This has become quite an issue in our country because we find out that a large percentage of kids are actually sending this material, which in fact is child pornography," he notes.
 
He also disagrees with ACLU's stance. "The ACLU claims the kids have a constitutional, First Amendment right to produce and distribute this kind of child pornography," Trueman points out. "This is unheard of, and I hope that the ACLU does not get their way."
 
Trueman hopes parents and teachers will help the students understand the damage that "sexting" can cause to their lives both now and in the future. "Both state and federal laws prohibit the production and distribution of child pornography," he concludes.