No no, porn is supposed to be sexy, this is gross

A journalist in Zambia is going to be tried and could face jail time on pornography charges after sending “obscene” photos to government officials and local women’s rights groups.

The pictures are graphic - they show a woman in the process of giving birth to a breach baby. Its shoulders, legs and arms are visible, but the head has not yet been delivered. The photos were apparently taken in the grounds of Lusaka's main hospital. The nurses were on strike and the woman had been turned away from two clinics. By the time doctors operated, the baby had suffocated. Chansa Kabwela, the news editor of the Post - Zambia's most popular newspaper - says she was given the photographs by the woman's relatives. She did not publish them, but sent copies to a number of prominent people and women's rights groups, along with a letter calling for the strike to be brought to an end. President Banda expressed his outrage at a news conference, calling the photographs pornographic. Pornography is illegal in Zambia and Ms Kabwela was arrested soon afterwards and charged with distributing obscene material with intent to corrupt public morals. She faces five years in jail.[Source: bbc.co.uk].

Hmmm. I think some wires got crossed here. Pornography is supposed to elicit sexual arousal, no? These pictures aren’t exactly hot. Obscene maybe, but definitely not hot. I don’t need to know anything about Zambia (which is good because I don’t) to know that these charges are trumped up bull designed to silence an outspoken political threat. But more important than the issues of journalism and women’s health, does that say “Pornography is illegal in Zambia”? Wow. So, I guess I won’t be visiting Zambia any time soon. Child porn or animal porn I can understand, as those two are basically documented rapes. But regular old terribly acted, movie-spoof, consenting-adult porn? What’s wrong with that? Next you’re gonna tell me they’ve outlawed cheeseburgers, Queen albums, and meth. What is fun illegal in Zambia?