Lawmakers deem porn a public health crisis
Lawmakers in Arizona have become the latest to declare pornography a public health crisis.
A resolution that gained final approval from the state Legislature this week states that pornography “perpetuates a sexually toxic environment that damages all areas of our society.” The measure, which carries no legal weight, was introduced by Republican Rep. Michelle Udall and was approved by the state House in February. It cleared the Senate in a 16-13 vote Monday, The Arizona Republic reported.
“Potential detrimental effects on pornography users include toxic sexual behaviors, emotional, mental and medical illnesses and difficulty forming or maintaining intimate relationships,” the resolution says. It cites the normalization of violence, the sexualization of children and sex trafficking as among the effects of porn.
“To counteract these detrimental effects, this state and the nation must systemically prevent exposure and addiction to pornography, educate individuals and families about its harms and develop pornography recovery programs,” the resolution says.
Similar anti-porn measures reportedly have been backed by lawmakers in about a dozen states in recent years, including Montana , Kentucky, and Kansas . The resolutions are championed by the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, which has published a model anti-porn resolution .
“Similar to tobacco in the 1950s, research and science have caught up with the harmful impacts of a pervasive industry,” Dawn Hawkins, the group’s executive director, said in a statement after Montana passed its measure in April.
The Arizona resolution says porn is potentially addictive and that people who use it may require “increasingly shocking material for the addiction to be satisfied.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention previously told CNN it had not taken a stance on pornography as a public health issue, but that porn “can be connected to other public health issues like sexual violence and occupational HIV transmission.”
The measure passed along party lines, with one Democrat not voting. While some state Republicans said the resolution makes a statement for youth and families about the risks associated with sexual activity, such as sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies, Democrats called it toothless and said it misses the mark, according to The Arizona Republic .
Other measures introduced this year have been aimed at changing the state’s sexual education requirements.
“If we really want to look at this, we should start with education,” said Rep. Pamela Powers Hannley, a Democrat, according to a CNN report in February . “It’s embarrassing that we are one of the states that does not have medically accurate sex education. In testimony, they were trying to blame everything on pornography. That is a stretch.”
