PR: Bill requiring age verification of individuals in pornographic images filed in NC House
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 7th, 2025
Contact: Ashley Vaughan
ashley@ncvalues.org
BILL REQUIRING AGE VERIFICATION OF INDIVIDUALS IN PORNOGRAPHIC IMAGES FILED IN NC HOUSE
Today, HB 805, a bill aimed at ending exploitations in the pornography industry, was filed in the NC house. The “Prevent Sexual Exploitation of Women and Minors Act” requires that pornography websites verify that people on their websites are at least 18 years old and have consented, in writing, to be there. The bill makes a way for those who have been exploited by pornography websites to have content removed and provides significant financial penalties for violations.
It is a critical time to protect children from exploitation by the pornography industry because online child sexual abuse material is on the rise. In the US, reports have grown exponentially in recent years, from 3,000 reports in 1998 to more than 1,000,000 in 2014 and 18,400,000 in 2018. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children recorded more than 29,300,000 reports of suspected child sexual abuse material in 2021, the highest number of reports ever received in a single year and a 35 percent increase from 2020.
Tami Fitzgerald, Executive Director of the North Carolina Values Coalition, praised the bill for its protection of vulnerable individuals, saying, “We are proud to support the introduction of this important bill, which is a critical step in safeguarding vulnerable individuals from exploitation by the pornography industry. It’s time to permanently put a stop to sexual exploitation of children in North Carolina.”
The bill is sponsored by Representatives Neal Jackson, Laura Budd, Sarah Stevens, and Jennifer Balkcom.
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PR: Bill Introduced to Promote Wholesome Content for Students
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PR: Bills filed in NC House and Senate Aim to Restore Parental Authority in Medical Decisions
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 26th, 2025
Contact: Ashley Vaughan
ashley@ncvalues.org
BILLS FILED IN NC HOUSE AND SENATE AIM TO RESTORE PARENTAL AUTHORITY IN MEDICAL DECISIONS
Two bills, HB 519 and SB 759, were filed in the NC House and Senate that aim to restore to parents the right to consent for diagnosis and treatment of serious medical conditions for their minor children. Currently under NC law, children – not parents – have the right to consent for sexually transmitted diseases, substance abuse, and emotional disturbance. Because of this, parents are being left out of important medical decisions that may have life-changing ramifications, and the burden of managing those conditions is being left to children alone. Furthermore, parents are being excluded from deeply personal and value-laden situations that they have a right to speak into as the ones responsible for the upbringing of the child.
NC Values Coalition strongly supports these bills. Press Director Ashley Vaughan said, “Parents should have the right to make decisions about their child’s medical care. Let’s be clear: children can’t manage complex treatment plans or navigate the healthcare system alone. They aren’t ready to weigh the benefits versus the risks of psychiatric meds, or to comply with the strict regimen required to manage HIV. And they should not bear the physical and emotional toll of addiction recovery alone. Parents are being sidelined when their children need them the most, and it is time for North Carolina to fix this problem.”
Officially titled “Parents Bill of Medical Rights”, the bills were introduced just days after a landmark decision by the NC Supreme Court, Happel v. Guilford County Board of Education, reaffirming parents’ rights as being a fundamental Constitutional right. Chief Justice Paul Newby wrote in the majority opinion that parents have the right to direct the upbringing of their own children – including giving consent to and making medical decisions for their children. “If the General Assembly doesn’t pass this bill repealing the old statute that takes away parents’ rights to consent to medical treatment of their children, then a parent will inevitably file a lawsuit to have the statute declared unconstitutional,” said Vaughan.
The bills are sponsored in the House by Reps. Jennifer Balkcom, Donnie Loftis, Larry Potts, and Heather Rhyne and in the Senate by Sens. Jim Burgin, Benton Sawrey, and Dana Jones.
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