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Utah Governor: 'Porn Is a Public Health Crisis' (cnet.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the public-health-crisis dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Utah Governor Gary Herbert said on his Facebook page: "Pornography is a public health crisis. The problem is rampant, yet it thrives in secrecy and silence." He emitted this thought on signing a resolution which says porn is "a public health hazard leading to a broad spectrum of individual and public health impacts and societal harms." In addition, it "perpetuates a sexually toxic environment." The resolution doesn't just stop there. It goes on to say "due to advances in technology and the universal availability of the Internet, young children are exposed to what used to be referred to as hard core, but is now considered mainstream, pornography at an alarming rate." The resolution says pornography "equates violence toward women and children with sex and pain with pleasure, which increases the demand for sex trafficking, prostitution, child sexual abuse images, and child pornography." It requests "the need for education, prevention, research, and policy change at the community and societal level in order to address the pornography epidemic that is harming the people of our state and nation." In the words of Gov. Gary Herbert, "Today's bills will start an open discussion." I couldn't agree more...

15 of 822 comments (clear)

  1. slippery slope by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This is just the continuation of the "public health crisis" excuse to ban something people don't agree with. Smoking, Sugary drinks, guns, etc. The slippery slope continues.

    1. Re: slippery slope by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You've got to be joking. Consider this: The air initially exists free of smoke, and cigarettes are not natural, this is the most basic state. I have the right to not be forced to breathe cancer inducing air from someone who chooses to pollute their own body with such things. If you are smoking in a common area, that is free to anyone, then you are taking away that freedom. I'm not taking away your freedom, the most basic state of the park was free and open air - you smokers are imposing your own will on that air and my body with no choice to myself.

      I used to smoke. I'm all for people being allowed to smoke. They should just be given a sealed phone booth in order to do it so the rest of us don't have our rights infringed.

    2. Re:slippery slope by Z00L00K · · Score: 5, Interesting

      If you think outdoor smoking ban is ridiculous then you don't realize how much air one cigarette can contaminate.

      Personally I'd like to see a total ban on all smoking tobacco.

      --
      If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker would destroy civilization.
    3. Re: slippery slope by Imrik · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The problem is that a lot of smokers think its a good idea to smoke anywhere they are allowed to smoke, regardless of who may be nearby.

    4. Re:slippery slope by mark_reh · · Score: 5, Funny

      Holy crap! /. has handed you a perfectly good opportunity to talk about porn and you guys decided to talk about smoking?
      What is wrong with you?

    5. Re:slippery slope by Cederic · · Score: 5, Insightful

      C'mon, it's much more than that. The men in the US are not getting married, and having fewer children.

      You wouldn't attribute that to the increased demands and expectations from women that makes it harder for some men to find a partner then?
      You don't think an improved awareness of the economic disadvantages fatherhood imposes on a man is involved?
      You think the gender bias in the legal system isn't putting men off marriage and the subsequent damage caused by a potential divorce?

      It's increasingly difficult to justify marriage, fatherhood is a risky proposition when so many men end up paying to raise a child they're prevented from seeing and men are being told at school and university that they must adhere to a feminist ideal that in turn puts off many women that want a successful alpha male as a partner.

      I guess it could just be all down to porn though. Yeah, porn and sexbots. Fuck me.

    6. Re:slippery slope by Noble713 · · Score: 5, Informative

      most nudity that is porn portrays abusive behavior

      Citation needed. If I pull up Xvideos or Redtube or some other site mega-site, most of the videos on the first few pages, which is a reasonably diverse selection of heterosexual-oriented porn, doesn't look like it features chicks getting fishhooked, donkey punched, facialed, or otherwise degraded.....well, beyond the stereotypically rapey Japanese stuff, anyway. There is some for sure, but definitely not >50%, which I would consider a minimum cutoff for "most". And given the rise of camwhore shows and amateur couples uploading their sexcapades, I'd say abuse in porn products is overall in a decline. The sort of stuff produced by the crew at Facial Abuse is not an industry standard.

    7. Re:slippery slope by liquid_schwartz · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I can guarantee you that my BBQ in one summer "contaminates" more air than I did as a smoker when I did so would you also support total bans on BBQ

      To be fair BBQ smells excellent, cigarette smoke does not.

  2. If only... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If only we had a way to instruct these children about responsible sexual practices. If only we could gather children together 5 days a week in public buildings and teach them sexual education along with math, science and history to demystify sex so that porn isn't their only reference.

    If only...

  3. Re:Great by mwvdlee · · Score: 5, Interesting

    which increases the demand for sex trafficking, prostitution, child sexual abuse images, and child pornography

    When I look at porn, I don't feel a need to abuse children. And I think most people don't either.
    If this governor feels the need to abuse children when watching porn, then by all means he SHOULD stop watching porn.
    In fact I strongly believe that anybody who feels watching adult sex leads to wanting sex with children should seek help and should absolutely stop watching porn.
    But please governor, stop projecting your own feelings on the rest of humanity.

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  4. Re:No control group by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Time.

    When porn was legalized in Denmark in the 1970'es, rape went down significantly. Later studies have shown that the places with the most and best internet connections[1] have the lowest number of rape cases.

    [1] The internet is for porn[2], obviously.
    [2] Insert AvenueQ video here.

  5. Huh? How's that work then? by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 5, Funny

    Utah Governor: 'Porn Is a Public Health Crisis'

    Why would porn cause a pubi-

    Oh, public. Never mind.

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  6. Re: Proof? by gweihir · · Score: 5, Insightful

    There is and from multiple sources. The problem is that it says what the prohibitionists are doing is actually quite harmful and increases rape and other problems. In addition, they often think they are on a mission from "God" (or against male dominance) and if they would admit the facts, it would not only look like they are exceptionally stupid, but outright malicious. Hence this evil and harmful crusade continues, like some other ones do.

    --
    Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
  7. Re:Great by AmiMoJo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A fairly compelling argument can be made that porn actually reduces abuse but providing an outlet for perfectly normal, powerful feelings. As the Catholic church demonstrates, abstinence certainly has some pretty severe psychological consequences.

    --
    const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
    SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  8. The behavior is the public health problem by sjbe · · Score: 5, Insightful

    most nudity that is porn portrays abusive behavior and feeds a need in the viewer that probably is not healthy.

    People are horny whether or not they have access to porn. "Portrays abusive behavior"? In some cases sure but the porn isn't the cause, it is the result.

    I've done a lot of counseling sessions with people whose relationships and lives were ruined by the persons addiction to porn.

    Addiction is a real problem but it doesn't follow that porn = public health crisis because some people cannot manage their libido effectively. Alcoholism is a disease but that doesn't make alcohol a public health problem. It makes alcoholism a public health problem. See the difference? Alcohol consumed responsibly is a non-problem. Alcohol consumed to excess routinely and/or in an irresponsible manner (i.e. alcoholism) is a problem.

    Seriously, this is a Mormon lawmaker trying to legislate his own morality on others. Let's not pretend there is any credibility to calling this a public health crisis because it isn't.

    I have yet to do a single one where sugary drinks, for example, caused it.

    And exactly how do you get to the conclusion that obesity and diabetes are conditions best treated by counseling?