Utah legislator proposes bill to declare porn proliferation a public health crisis
Known for being a conservative state and home of the Mormons, it is not surprising that a Utah legislator has proposed to blame porn for creating a public health hazard. Utah Sen Todd Weller also sought change to prevent the “pornography epidemic” that allegedly harms Utah residents and the US as well.
Just like the Zika virus that the World Health Organisation declared on Monday a global emergency, the senator wants porn, which Weller described as more addictive than powerful drugs, to be viewed by the public as a national epidemic. He cites books as well as opinion of experts that addiction to porn is more difficult to overcome than addiction to cocaine, reports the New York Daily News.
At present, many people view porn like how people during the early 20th century looked at smoking which was even advertised as healthy. However, over the years public perception has changes, resulting in many people considering the habit of lighting up as bad for the body. Welle wants a similar change in attitude by the public toward porn.
Welle’s strong opinion against lewd image stems from his exposure to porn as a young boy in the 1970s. Now 48, the senator says he wished he was not exposed to porn which Welle blames for polluting the minds of young children with wrong ideas about sex.
Because of the ease in accessing porn, Welle points out that the average age kids of today are exposed to porn – due to the Internet – is down to 11. In contrast, until the 1980s, porn could only be seen mainly from men’s magazines such as Penthouse and Playboy which are even kept under the beds of teen and older males.
The senator likewise blames adult movies for destroying family values as it pushes men away from marriage and leads to separations. He cites his experience as a divorce lawyer as proof.
Groups such as the Americanhumanist.org support the senator’s position that porn is harmful. “The way that porn equates sex with violence and debases women is both disturbing and out of line with the tenets and ideals of humanism,” states the group.
While comparing people who view porn as okay to climate change deniers, Welle, ironically excludes dealing with masturbation, often a result of viewing porn. He explains, “I think that’s beyond the scope of what I’m doing. We’re not going to outlaw masturbation in Utah.”
Although Utah is home to conservative religious groups such as the Church of the Latter Day Saints, the state was the top buyer of adult movies in 2009. That year, more than 5 of every 1,000 households purchased porn, according to a study, published by the Journal of Economic Perspective in 2009, by Professor Benjamin Edelman of the Harvard Business School.
Edelman notes that the online adult entertainment industry has been the target by legislators to limit its availability even as early as 1995 when only 7 percent of American households had Internet connection.
Google Trends adds that since 2009, porn addiction even grew in the state as online searches for porn almost doubled from 2009 levels. The biggest number of online porn searchers comes from the town of Providence. Welle explains the phenomenon to few sex stores and shops in Utah, which online porn addressed by being easy to access and providing anonymity.
However, PornHub, the most popular portal for triple-X film clips, says that the average viewer from Utah watched porn for only 9 minutes and 15 seconds compared to the average of 9 hours, 51 seconds.
