Postal Inspection Service
Obscenity & Sexually Oriented Advertising
|
|
United States Postal Inspection Service Obscenity & Sexually Oriented Advertising |
Every obscene, lewd, lascivious, indecent, filthy or vile article, matter, thing, device, or substance; and --
Every article or thing designed, adapted, or intended for producing abortion, or for any indecent or immoral use; and
Every article, instrument, substance, drug, medicine, or thing which is advertised or described in a manner calculated to lead another to use or apply it for producing abortion, or for any indecent or immoral purpose; and
Every written or printed card, letter, circular, book, pamphlet, advertisement, or notice of any kind giving information, directly or indirectly, where, or how, or from whom, or by what means any of such mentioned matters, articles, or things may be obtained or made, or where or by whom any act or operation of any kind for the procuring or producing of abortion will be done or performed, or how or by what means abortion may be produced, whether sealed or unsealed; and
Every paper, writing, advertisement, or representation that any article, instrument, substance, drug, medicine, or thing may, or can, be used or applied for producing abortion, or for any indecent or immoral purpose; and
Every description calculated to induce or incite a person to so use or apply any such article, instrument, substance, drug, medicine, or thing is declared to be nonmailable matter and shall not be conveyed in the mail or delivered from any post office or by any letter carrier.
Whoever knowingly uses the mail for the mailing, carriage in the mail, or delivery of anything declared by this section or section 3001(e) of title 39 to be nonmailable, or knowingly causes to be delivered by mail according to the direction thereon, or at the place at which it is directed to be delivered by the person to whom it is addressed, or knowingly takes any such thing from the mail for the purpose of circulating or disposing thereof, or of aiding in the circulation or disposition thereof, under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both, for the first such offense, and shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both, for each such offense thereafter.
The term indecent, as used in this section includes matter of a character tending to incite arson, murder, or assassination.
All matter otherwise mailable by law, upon the envelope or outside cover or wrapper of which, and all postal cards upon which, any delineations, epithets, terms, or language of an indecent, lewd, lascivious, or obscene character are written or printed or otherwise impressed or apparent, are nonmailable matter, and shall not be conveyed in the mail nor delivered from any post office nor by any letter carrier, and shall be withdrawn from the mail under such regulations as the Postal Service shall prescribe.
Whoever knowingly deposits for mailing or delivery, anything declared by this section to be nonmailable matter, or knowingly takes the same from the mail for the purpose of circulating or disposing of or aiding in the circulation or disposition of the same, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
(a) Whoever --
(b) For the purposes of this section, the term "sexually oriented advertisement" shall have the same meaning as given in section 3010(d) of title 39.