MP Wants To Review Iceland’s Porn Laws

An incoming MP for the Pirate Party believes Iceland’s pornography laws need to be changed, if not dropped altogether.

Vísir reports that Ásta Guðrún Helgadóttir points out that Iceland’s pornography laws – which can be found in Article 210 of the General Penal Code – were written in 1940, and not exactly in keeping with the times. The subject is of special interest to her, having done her BA thesis on the matter.

“[The pornography law] is of course censorship,” she told reporters. “One wonders whether the article should be dropped altogether, or changed in some way. One thing that is clear is this will be difficult, as there is always someone who wants to keep the article as it is.”

Ásta contends that the law has not aged well, pointing out how Iceland’s FreeTheNipple campaign might have been considered porn when the law was written, but not today. She adds further that distinguishing between porn and erotica is murky at best.

“It’s also a question of when a crime is committed,” she said. “Is it a crime to create a pornographic illustration, painting, or text? Is it possible to punish someone for their imagination? It’s a controversial matter, but I think we should examine this issue.”

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