OPINION: Relax. Bachmann Didn't Pledge To Ban Pornography

The reports making the rounds on the blogosphere claiming Michele Bachmann promised to ban pornography if elected President are amusing, but false. 

The story emerged after the Minnesota Congresswoman signed a pledge that the Family Leader, an Iowa Christian organization, extended to GOP hopefuls asking for them to tackle a variety of social issues from rejecting Sharia law to offering “vigorous opposition” to gay marriage.

According to a report posted by Think Progress Thursday evening, tucked inside one of the 14 vows was a commitment to ban “all forms” of pornography.

I’m no fan of Michele Bachmann’s politics, and admittedly the thought of her calling for an end to porn appears to fall in line with the bizarre missteps her campaign has made so far, but in this instance, her hands seem to be clean.

In actuality, the pledge asks candidates to offer “humane protection of women and the innocent fruit of conjugal intimacy- our next generation of American children- from human trafficking, sexual slavery, seduction into promiscuity, and all forms of pornography and prostitution, infanticide, abortion and other types of coercion or stolen innocence.”

When reached for comment, Bob Vander Plaats, the organization’s president, appeared surprised that the language has been interpreted as a call to outlaw adult entertainment.

“We are not calling for a nationwide ban on pornography,” Vander Plaats said during a phone interview. “The bullet point doesn’t even come close to calling for that.”

Vander Plaats explained that the language was meant to imply opposition to women being forced into pornography or prostitution, a far cry from the Think Progress headline: BREAKING: Bachmann pledges to ban pornography