Utah has made another significant stride toward officially recognizing pornography as a public health crisis.
A resolution introduced into the Utah State Legislature declaring pornography a public health crisis has passed the Utah House of Representatives and will soon be presented to Governor Gary Herbert for his signature.
It is important for Utah to recognize the harms of pornography.
Over a quarter of young adults report that they were first exposed to pornography before puberty, according to the latest research by Barna Group called The Porn Phenomenon. This has dangerous ramifications, because pornography not only shrinks regions of the brain associated with motivation and decision-making, but it also shapes sexual templates to normalize violence and abuse.
Pornography has become so pervasive in America, that it is essentially impossible for parents to protect their children from it. The combination of research demonstrating the harms of pornography, and its prevalence in our culture, clearly reveals that pornography is a public health crisis.
State Sen. Todd Weiler introduced this legislative resolution in order to formally address the harmful effects of pornography on public health and on society.
“Pornography perpetuates a sexually toxic environment,” the resolution reads. “Efforts to prevent pornography exposure and addiction, to educate individuals and families concerning its harms, and to develop recovery programs must be addressed systemically in ways that hold broader influences accountable.”
The resolution also notes that pornography plays a role in equating “violence towards women and children with sex and pain with pleasure” and “lessening desire in young men to marry, dissatisfaction in marriage, and infidelity.”
You can read other NCOSE blogs following this resolution’s progress here:
