Montana Becomes 15th State to Recognize Public Health Harms of Porn

Montana just became the 15th state to pass a resolution recognizing the public health harms of pornography!

Similar to tobacco in the 1950s, research & science have caught up with the harmful impacts of a pervasive industry. That is why the National Center on Sexual Exploitation authored the model resolution that formally recognizes the impacts of pornography which is being passed around the country.

The National Center on Sexual Exploitation has created a Research Summary highlighting findings from over 90 peer-reviewed studies on the harms of pornography. Some findings include:

• Pornography Has Detrimental Impacts on the Brain: There are over 40 neurological studies which reveal pornography use has negative and detrimental impacts on the brain.
• Pornography Teaches Users that Women Enjoy Sexual Violence and Degradation: A recent study of PornHub videos found that 43% of videos included what the researchers categorized as “visible aggression” and 15% included “nonconsensual aggression.” This violence was almost ubiquitously portrayed against women, and women responded to that violence with pleasure. In response to these findings, the researcher noted that the prevalence of aggressive and demeaning acts in videos featuring teenagers, “may signal to viewers of all ages that these acts are not only normative and legitimate, but perhaps even expected,” thus creating social pressure on both young women and men to re-enact them with their sexual partners.
• Pornography is Linked to Depressive Symptoms: A study of young adults leaving college found that higher pornography use was significantly associated with less self-worth and more depressive symptoms. This was consistent after controlling for age, religiosity, impulsivity, race, and parent’s marital status.

The CDC recently told CNN that “Pornography can be connected to other public health issues like sexual violence and occupational HIV transmission.”

Like other public health issues, not all exposed have the same response. However, for many, repeated exposure and use is correlated to problematic sexual behaviors that can lead to porn-induced erectile dysfunction, divorce or failed relationships, and sometimes sexually aggressive and violent behaviors. Research is also showing correlations to violence against women, increased STI rates, and increased sexual dysfunction among young men.

Montana just became the 15th state to pass a resolution recognizing the public health harms of pornography! #publichealth Click To Tweet

Other States:

Arkansas – House Resolution Passed (2017)

Arizona – as of February 2019, the AZ House Passed a Resolution on the public health harms of pornography, and it is currently being sent to the AZ Senate.

Florida – House Resolution Passed (2018)

Idaho – House Concurring Resolution Passed (2018)

Kansas – House Resolution Passed (2017)

Kentucky – Senate Resolution Passed (2018)

Louisiana – House Resolution Passed (2017)

Missouri – Senate Concurring Resolution Passed (2018)

Oklahoma – House Concurring Resolution Passed (2017)

Pennsylvania – House Resolution Passed (2018)

South Dakota – Senate Concurring Resolution Passed (2017)

Tennessee – Senate Joint Resolution Passed (2017)

Utah – Senate Concurring Resolution Passed (2016)

Virginia – House Resolution Passed (2017).

In addition to these, Texas – Texas is holding a hearing regarding the resolution on the public health harms of pornography on April 24, 2019.

Take Action!

Sign the petition to call on more public officials to recognize the public health impacts of pornography!