Utah Declares Pornography an Urgent Public Health Crisis

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert signed a resolution Tuesday recognizing pornography as a public health crisis.

The Utah State Senate and House of Representatives recently unanimously passed the resolution. 

The National Center on Sexual Exploitation authored the resolution. They are also working on similar efforts in other states.

"Research shows there are links between pornography and violence against women, increased STI rates, and increased sexual dysfunction," Dawn Hawkins, executive director at NCSE, wrote in a statement.

"A multi-disciplinary public health approach to the pandemic of pornography is necessary and has the potential to effect substantial change in health care professions, governmental policies, and culture at large," she added.

The resolution, introduced by state Sen. Todd Weiler, does not ban pornography but recognizes the need for better education and prevention against it.

"Pornography normalizes violence and abuse of women and children; pornography treats women and children as objects and often depicts rape and abuse as if they are harmless," the resolution states in part.

Pornography equates violence towards 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 continues.

The resolution also addresses the addictive power of pornography use. 

"Potential detrimental effects on pornography's users can impact brain development and functioning, contribute to emotional and medical illnesses, shape deviant sexual arousal, and lead to difficulty in forming or maintaining intimate relationships, as well as problematic or harmful sexual behaviors and addiction," it states.
 
The resolution also requires computer technicians who find child pornography on client devices to report it to law enforcement, or the federal Cyber Tip Line for child pornography. Willful failure to do so could result in a misdemeanor charge.