Utah Gov Gary Herbert signs resolution declaring pornography a ‘public health crisis’
The state of Utah has become the first state in the nation to declare that pornography is creating a “public health crisis.” Governor Gary Herbert signed the resolution, pointing to the effects of porn on brain development, the increase risky sexual behavior, and how it leads to sexual addiction.
Herbert signed a non-binding resolution, SCR 9, stating during a press conference that “What we are doing is sounding a voice of warning…There are real health risks that are involved with viewing pornography.”
White Ribbon Against Pornography
Image/Morality in Media
State Senator Todd Weiler sponsored the resolution and joined numerous experts who said they have come to address porn, not as a moral issue, but as a public health threat.
“Numerous studies have now connected pornography use to lower mental health outcomes, lower relationship well-being, and detrimental expectations and beliefs about sex and sexual intimacy,” said Dr. Brian Willoughby, a professor of family life at Brigham Young University.
Willoughby’s own research linked early exposure to pornography to “an increased probability of addictive and compulsive behaviors developing in adulthood.”
One study showed girls who watched porn were five times more likely to engage in group sex than those who do not.
