The state of Arizona is in the process of declaring pornography a public health crisis because of its “toxic effects” on society. Legislators are so convinced that porn is wreaking havoc on their state that they are introducing legislation to call attention to the problem.
Republican Rep. Michelle Udall is heading up the fight against the porn industry, proposing House Concurrent Resolution 2009, a resolution that seeks to declare porn a public health crisis.
According to the Arizona Republic, Republican Rep. Michelle Udall said that porn “perpetuates a sexually toxic environment that damages all areas of our society.”
“Like the tobacco industry, the pornography industry has created a public health crisis,” Udall said. “Pornography is used pervasively, even by minors.”
According to the House Concurrent Resolution 2009, an “alarming” rate of children are being exposed to porn due to its easy accessibility and aggressive presence on the internet.
Udall noted that viewing porn can lead to “low self-esteem, eating disorders and an increase in problematic sexual activity at ever-younger ages.”
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Not only does she argue that porn can be destructive to one’s mental health, but it’s also dangerous in a physical capacity. House Concurrent Resolution 2009 points out that pornography “normalizes violence and the abuse of women and children by treating them as objects, increasing the demand for sex trafficking, prostitution and child porn.”
Udall also credits porn with harming the family structure, saying that it can lead to a “decrease in young men’s desire to marry, and ultimately leading to dissatisfaction with marriage, and infidelity.”
Last week, the resolution was passed in a 5-3 vote by the House Committee on Health & Human Services, with Republicans leading the support.
Rep. Kelli Butler (D-Paradise Valley) argued that there is no scientific proof to back up the claims that Udall’s bill makes.
“There are statements in here that seem hyperbolic and unproven,” Rep. Butler. said“I just don’t think there’s necessarily the science to back up those claims.”
Arizona would not be the first state to declare pornography a public health crisis. According to CNN, in 2011, Utah became the first state to declare a public health crisis resulting from pornography use. Eleven other states have followed suit since then.
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The National Center on Sexual Exploitation, who wrote the text of the Utah resolution, cited “recent research indicates pornography is potentially biologically addictive and requires shocking material for the addiction to be satisfied” as a scientific reason for the declared crisis. They also linked pornography to sexual exploitation, citing it as a major contributing factor.
Our friends @FightTheNewDrug have a great article on the connection between pornography and sex trafficking. At NCOSE, we’re all about exposing the #intersectionality of sexual exploitation. https://t.co/NHWoyXeFkT
— National Center on Sexual Exploitation (@ncose) December 24, 2018
You can find the entire resolution here. For more information on the connection between pornography and sex trafficking, click here.
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