'Legislation and prostitution: do they coincide? During the research the question was asked several times: 'What exactly is the definition of pornography?'. This is the answer to this very common question: "according to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1973), pornography is 'a form of written, graphic, or other communication intended to arouse lascivious feelings.'" Pornography is such a broad issue. The topic as it is has been narrowed down and in this reading the basics of pornography will be focused on Legislation partly with Prostitution.Prostitution. What comes to mind when you hear this word? Cheap, degrading, trashy , offensive… can you think of any other adjectives? And acceptance? As shocking as it may seem, research has shown that in the 12th and 13th centuries, prostitution is defined as “a socially identifiable group of women (who) earn their living mainly or exclusively by trading their bodies". There were some rules, however: a prostitute could not be with good men and could not be near the church. Prostitution was institutionalized in the 15th century and if a prostitute lived on a public street she was punished. Their punishment for the first violation was only a fine, but for the third violation they had to pay a fine and were also punished with "running from the city, beatings, and banishment from the city". These were the laws, and if you disobeyed, that was the punishment. At the time this book was written, Bad Girls and Dirty Pictures, there were no laws against pornographic material in any form. In fact, "The First Amendment to the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution" states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech , or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. This right is either absolute or does not exist." Has there been some violation somewhere in the First Amendment of what pornography means? There were no laws proving pornography infringement. These are laws against what is considered obscene or too explicit. If there were no laws, films would not be classified and magazines of any kind would be available everywhere and for all age groups.