Thomas Schiro was thrown out of a coin-operated “peepshow” booth because he exposed himself to a clerk. Shortly afterwards, he sexually assaulted a young woman, bludgeoned her to death, then raped her corpse and chewed on several parts of her body. Schiro claimed that he committed these crimes because he had been repeatedly exposed to violent pornography since early childhood. One expert testifying at Schiro’s criminal trial stated that constant exposure to hard-core pornography creates “a person who no longer distinguishes between violence and rape, or violence and sex.”

Schiro was convicted of rape and murder and therefore held fully accountable for his violent acts. However, some analysts maintain that the producers of pornography are also responsible for sexual brutality. Donna Rice Hughes, communications director of Enough Is Enough!, a women’s group opposed to...