NEWS STORY

By Lyla Katz

Thursday, Nov 11, 2010    

SEATTLE — The ASACP is speaking out against the author of a pedophiliac e-book, which was pulled from Amazon’s Kindle store this week after receiving a firestorm of complaints and boycott threats.

Written and self-published by Phillip Greaves, “The Pedophile’s Guide to Love and Pleasure: A Child-Lover’s Code of Conduct” is described as a how-to guide for pedophiles, with advice on taking the proper precautions to avoid getting caught, according to an excerpt from TechCrunch.

The idea that such a book could be published and sold has outraged thousands including the ASACP.

“I’m all for free speech as long as it doesn’t harm children,” ASACP Joan Irvine said.

“The idea of someone writing a book on how to be a pedophile is gross and disgusting,” she said. “He was on CNN trying to equate being a pedophile to a different sexual orientation, which is so scary.”

“I applaud Amazon for the difficult decision they had to make in regards to free speech versus their client base around the sexual abuse of children.”

Greaves appeared on CNN defending his book and said that "true pedophiles love children and would never hurt them."

But when CNN asked if the e-book was a how-to manual, he said "there are certain parts that are advisory" and added further that "penetration is out. You can't do that with a child, but kissing and fondling I don't think is that big of a problem."

Before pulling the e-book, Amazon said in a statement, "Amazon believes it is censorship not to sell certain books simply because we or others believe their message is objectionable. Amazon does not support or promote hatred or criminal acts, however, we do support the right of every individual to make their own purchasing decisions."

A couple of days after the e-book hit the Kindle store Oct. 28, thousands of of Amazon customers wrote angry reviews saying they wouldn’t buy anything from the online retailer until the book was removed.