ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Comstock laws

Okay kiddo, have you ever heard of the Comstock Laws? They were rules made a long, long time ago (in the 1800s) that had to do with certain activities that some people didn't think were appropriate.

These laws were named after a guy named Anthony Comstock, who thought that things like sending nude pictures, talking about sex in public, and selling certain kinds of medicine were really bad things to do. So, he worked really hard to make laws that would stop people from doing those things.

One of the rules he made was that it was illegal to send pictures or information about sex through the mail. Back then, sending mail was one of the main ways people communicated, so this was a pretty big deal. Another rule was that doctors couldn't give out any medicine that they thought would make someone have an abortion (which is when a woman stops being pregnant).

While Anthony Comstock thought that these laws were important to keep people safe, other people didn't agree. They thought that it wasn't fair to make it illegal to talk about sex or to send certain kinds of pictures, and that sometimes women needed medicine to help them with their health.

Eventually, some of these rules were changed, but the Comstock Laws are still remembered as an important part of history that helps us understand how people thought about things like sex and health a long, long time ago - and how we think about them today.