Phillip Greaves II, 47, has been arrested for violating Florida’s obscenity law, a third degree felony, after he wrote a book entitled The Pedophile’s Guide to Love and Pleasure.

     The book initially available for sale on Amazon.com has since been removed from the site, however the book itself has started a national debate on the topic of free speech.

      Psychology Today identifies pedophilia as “the fantasy or act of sexual activity with prepubescent children. Pedophiles are usually men, and can be attracted to either or both sexes.” Clearly molesting children is unacceptable but advertising how to do so in a book is despicable. Despite the fact that there are some theories which suggest that pedophilia is a genetic disorder and others suggest that pedophiles were sexually abused themselves is not the issue here.  The issue is that allowing a man to write and to publish ‘A how to guide’ of this horrible act will only encourage people to believe such behavior is acceptable.

      Although every citizen in the United States is entitled to free speech, there is something to be said about writing a book that educates people about how to do something so obviously illegal. It has never been acceptable to touch children in an inappropriate manner and to violate them in the way this book suggests.  Allowing books like Greaves’ to be on the shelves may open the door for books that give step-by-step information about things like how to commit suicide, or how to murder someone without getting caught. Will we tolerate those as well?

      Psychology Today estimates that 20 percent of children under the age of 18 have been sexually abused.  Books like the ones Greaves wrote might increase this percentage.   Putting this guidebook into the hands of someone with a psychological disorder places innocent victims at risk.   

     Pedophiles are disgusting, ill, vulgar people. Greaves may have rights to his own opinion, however abusing a child is immoral, and a guide about how victimize them should never be allowed to be printed and bound for other people to see.