A resolution introduced in the Utah State Legislature on Friday seeks to declare pornography a “public health hazard” and urges education and policy change to battle it. We, of course, applaud this effort and hope that similar resolutions will be passed in all states.
Here’s our take on this resolution (ACTION STEPS LISTED BELOW!):
It is beyond an individual or family’s ability to handle the harms and consequences of pornography on their own, so we must call on everyone to tackle this issue. The mounting research is clear. Today’s hardcore pornography is significantly linked to:
- increases in sexual violence;
- decreased brain matter for regular users in the regions used for motivation and decision-making;
- porn-induced sexual dysfunction is on the rise;
- New research, The Porn Phenomenon, conducted by Barna Group reveals that a quarter of young adults are first exposed to pornography before puberty.
- And so much more.
As pornography shapes the sexual templates of rising generations, violence and abuse of women and children becomes normalized, along with the notion that is ok to buy and sell women for sex.
Experts have framed pornography as a public health crisis for years and this past summer, members of the U.S. Congress were educated on these realities in a Capitol Symposium hosted by our organization.
If we want to curb child sexual exploitation, the rape culture, or the rise in demand for trafficked women and children, we must start addressing the fact that pornography is the cornerstone of sexual violence.
ACTION ALERT: Share your story!
Email your personal testimony of the harms of pornography to [email protected] and we will submit the testimonies to the UT Legislature. All will be shared anonymously.
Learn more about Pornography: A Public Health Crisis here
