WASHINGTON) -- President Clinton on Thursday signed into law legislation banning so-called "crush" videos that depict women crushing small animals like mice beneath their high heels, often during sex acts.

The White House said the law establishes federal criminal penalties for the creation, sale or possession of "a depiction of cruelty to animals'' with the intent to distribute it within the United States or overseas.

To comply with the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech, the law makes exceptions for works of "serious religious, political, scientific, educational, journalistic, historical or artistic value."

"The act would prohibit the types of depictions ... of wanton cruelty to animals designed to appeal to a prurient interest in sex," Clinton said in a statement released by the White House.

According to police, as many as 2,000 "crush" videos are for sale on the Internet. In August, a California woman was ordered to stand trial on animal cruelty charges after she allegedly stomped mice to death in a pornographic video.