Objective of The Law
The Comstock Act targeted pornography as well as contraceptive equipment and many educational materials such as descriptions of contraceptive methods and other reproductive health-related materials.
Comstock's ideas of what might be "obscene, lewd, or lascivious" were quite broad. During his time of greatest power, even some anatomy textbooks were prohibited from being sent to medical students by the United States Postal Service.
The ban on contraceptives was declared unconstitutional by the courts in 1936, though the remaining portions of the law continue to be enforced today. The current law on obscenity is expressed in the Miller test.
Read more about this topic: Comstock Laws
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