Archdiocese of Newark to Support Campaign Against Pornography Roman Catholics in the Archdiocese of Newark will join a national campaign against pornography by donning white ribbons during Pornography Awareness Week from Sunday, October 26 to Sunday, November 2. The White Ribbon Against Pornography campaign is run by Morality in Media, Inc., and is being supported locally by the Archdiocesan Office of the National Conference of Catholic Women. Mary Loftus, president of the Newark Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women (NACCW), is asking people of all genders and ages to wear the white ribbons in support of this national effort. "A lot of people say that pornography is one of the major causes of violence against women in this society," Said Loftus. "We hope that, by speaking out, we can show that women in America are truly upset by pornography." She explained that the NACCW attacked this project at the specific request of Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick several years ago. "We took the White Ribbon Campaign a step further by creating White Ribbon lapel pins that can be worn year-round," she said, "Signifying that this battle is not meant to be fought in one week. It must be a continuous process if it is to be successful. That trend has caught on in other states such as California, Minnesota and New York." According to Loftus, wearing a ribbon may not be enough, however. She enforced that action must be taken if the campaign is going to have any impact. "Write to government officials, to media outlets and to advertisers letting them know that you will not stand for this degrading and dehumanizing practice." She also described a petition that is addressed to President Clinton and Vice President Gore. According to Loftus, the petition reminds the leaders of our country about the campaign promises they made four years ago, specifically to "aggressively enforce" federal obscenity laws already on the books. If you would like to support the White Ribbon campaign by wearing a ribbon, joining the petition, or receiving a list of networks and TV stations, please contact the Office of the National Council of Catholic Women, Archdiocesan Center, 171 Clifton Avenue, Newark, NJ 07104.
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