Oprah Criticized for Senate Bill 1738, Unrelated to GOP Boycott

Has partisan politic hit an all-time low? On Monday, mega-star Oprah Winfrey uses her influence on her show to elicit support for Senate bill 1738 [S. 1738] - a bill designed to help tackle the horrors of child pornography and exploitation. Yet, the full story on S. 1738, known as The Combating Child Exploitation Act of 2007, was not provided to the public. Whether it was politically motivated or a case of being under-informed, Oprah is criticized, by at least one Republican, for not giving the full story on Senate bill 1738. Given the statement to Senate leadership, by Sen. Tom Colburn M.D. (R-Okla), it appears unrelated to the recent GOP Oprah boycott over Gov. Sarah Palin.

Oprah supports S.1738, Biden and Obama

Monday, Oprah announced that S. 1738 was necessary and for compelling reasons concerning rampant and largely unfathomable child predators. Unknown to most of the public, instructions for molesting young children and babies are easily accessible online.

Oprah acknowledged that Senate bill 1738 was authored by Sen. Joe Biden and endorsed by Sen. Barack Obama, both candidates whom Oprah has endorsed during this U.S. presidential race. Other noteworthy supporters of S. 1738 include Sen. Hillary Clinton and a few Republicans. The fact that Biden and Obama are associated with Senate bill 1738, in isolation, is of limited concern.

Response from Senator Tom Colburn on Senate bill 1738

Sen. Tom Colburn M.D., who has authored a bill similar to S. 1738 -- one combined with a bill authored by Sen. John McCain, had this to say in a press release to Senate leaders on September 15:

"Oprah's viewers deserve to know that Senate leaders have twice objected to passage of the bill she supports. Senate leaders have insisted that S. 1738, authored by Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) and endorsed by Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), only pass if it is included in a package of unrelated bills that addresses less vital concerns such as the interstate commerce of non-human primates. When I proposed de-linking the causes of protecting children and chimpanzees, Senate leaders objected," Dr. Coburn said.

"Because of these objections, I introduced S. 3344, a comprehensive child exploitation bill that pairs S. 1738 with the Securing Adolescents from Exploitation-Online (SAFE) Act of 2007, a measure strongly supported by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children which passed the House by a margin of 409-2. The Democrat leadership objected, however, apparently because they didn't want to give the SAFE Act's Senate author, Senator John McCain (R-AZ), credit for passing a complimentary bill," Dr. Coburn said".

(read full transcript here)

Problems and Costs with Senate Bill 1738

Given the real need for viable legislation to protect children from predators and exploitation, it is imperative that a law not only pass but be funded -- and not go the wayside as did the unfunded Adam Walsh Act of 2006.

Responsible funding, particularly in this economy, requires financial discipline. As noted, S. 1738 has been held up in the Senate. The senate bill was turned into an omnibus [S. 3297], containing over 30 bills, several unrelated.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates S. 3297 would cost taxpayers $10 billion dollars over four years. This equates to $89.59 for a family of four. Whereas S. 1738 would cost 1.059 billion over seven years or $6.30 for a family of four, and only $1.58 per person. An analysis on the Coburn bill S.3297 is needed.

Getting Child Protection Legislation Passed

Whether the public supports S. 1738 or S. 3344, the takeaway is that there are options. Moreover, Congress needs substantial pressure from voters to perform their job to get an effective child protection bill passed.

To be clear, Oprah's passion for child protection is demonstrably sincere and personal, and she has accomplished a lot in this area. Yet, this would seem like a good time, for all concerned, to avoid even the perception of partisanship -- both to promote voter response and confidence.

Authors note: This writer has three articles here on AC concerning child abuse and molestation, One, Child Molesters in My Neighborhood, is of a personal experience nature and such experience lends towards a solution-based, non-partisan view of Senate bill 1738.

Sources used and to research Senate bill 1738
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/C?c110:./temp/~c110yC3SQw
http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/subject/839.html
http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/110_SN_3297.html
http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/110_SN_1738.html
http://coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=LatestNews.PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=677267e2-802a-23ad-4698-dbe39b99ec24
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/96xx/doc9615/s3297.pdf
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/93xx/doc9362/s1738.pdf