Action on Porn Law Postponed

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors today postponed action on a hotly debated anti-pornography ordinance following an opinion by its attorneys that the proposal has serious constitutional problems.

The county Commission on the Status of Women, which last month proposed the ordinance that would define pornography as sex discrimination, asked for a 60-day delay so it could review the legal opinion. The ordinance has been hailed by some feminist leaders as an innovative way to help reduce violence against women, but others have called it a dangerous attack on free speech. Both sides vowed to step up their lobbying efforts before the matter comes back to the board May 28.