In the last few decades, with the
introduction of the Internet, viewing pornography has surfaced as a serious social
and health concern. Studies undertaken
on the impact of pornography can be divided into three areas of concern: (1) the
effect upon the development of children and adolescents (2) the health and
social impact on adults (3) the health issues for performers in pornographic
media. The results of these studies unearthed some
very alarming trends and impacts that require addressing.
Children and Adolescents
Children and teens are the group most
likely to suffer adverse effects from viewing pornography. A 2001 poll by the
Kaiser Family Foundation of 15 to 17 year old said, they came across pornography accidentally. A study done by The University of New Hampshire published in the February 2007 edition of
“Pediatrics” found that 42% of adolescents aged 10-17 had viewed pornographic in
the last 12 months. Of that 42%, two out of three said they did not want to
view them or sought them out. The average age that children first come into
contact with pornography is 11, and the 12-17 year old age group is the largest
consumer demographic. 90% of those between the ages of 8 to 16 who report
viewing pornography do so while working on their homework. This makes the
internet and particularly chat rooms associated with porn sites fertile grounds
for child molesters and sociopaths. Clearly, something needs to be done. One
measure of the deleterious effects of pornography for adolescents was published
in a study done by Emily Rothman, from the Boston University School of Public
Health. Rothman notes that recent studies done with high school aged girls in
the Northeast found that “sex parties” are currently an “accepted activity of
certain subset of teens.” In her study of 495 females aged 14-20 using
school-based clinics, 7.3% reported having multiple partner sex (MPS). Of that
group, the adolescents most likely to engage in MPS were aged 14-15.
Table 1 (N = 328)
Total sample (%)
|
Respondents
with multi-partner sex experience as a % of total sample
|
|
Total
|
100.0
|
7.3 %
|
Age
|
(%) of total sample by age
|
|
14–15
|
14.0%
|
10.9%
|
16–17
|
45.7 %
|
7.3 %
|
18–20
|
40.2%
|
6.1 %
|
Race/ethnicity
|
% of total sample by race
|
|
White
|
39.3
|
9.3%
|
Black
|
22.0
|
6.9 %
|
Hispanic
|
33.2
|
5.5 %
|
Other
|
5.5
|
5.6 %
|
Over half (52%) claimed there was
pressure to engage. 71% of the girls had viewed
pornography in the last month (Table 2). 35% of girls in the MPS group consented
without any coercion. 45% of the MPS involved one or more males not using a condom,
much higher than the 30% figure for teens in general. What the long term
psychological implications on these adolescents are unknown, as are the possible
negative, sexual, reproductive and other health risks.
Table 2
(N = 328)
Total sample (%)
|
Among respondents with MPS
experience (%)
|
|
Smoked cigarettes in past month
|
36.5
|
70.8
|
Heavy drinking in past month
|
32.3
|
41.7
|
Marijuana use in past month
|
40.4
|
60.9
|
Ever diagnosed with STI
|
19.4
|
36.4
|
Ever been pregnant
|
22.2
|
22.7
|
Very early sexual initiation (≤14 years)
|
38.4
|
60.9
|
Psychological distress
|
23.8
|
39.1
|
Suicidal ideation or attempt in past year
|
17.4
|
33.3
|
Physical fighting in past year
|
36.8
|
38.1
|
Ever gang member
|
9.6
|
19.0
|
Ever experienced physical or sexual violence from a dating
partner
|
44.5
|
78.3
|
Ever experienced childhood sexual abuse
|
9.4
|
28.6
|
Exposed to pornography in past month
|
34.1
|
71.4
|
Ever forced or threatened to participate in sexual
behaviors that the perpetrator saw in pornography
|
10.8
|
52.4
|
Adults
Recent Meta data analysis has identified
four potential risks of pornography for
adults: (Perrin Paul C, 2008, Vol 15)(1)
developing sexually deviant tendencies; (2) committing sexual offenses; (3)difficulties
in one’s intimate relationships (4) accepting rape myths
These findings mirror those of the 1986 Surgeon
General’s workshop on pornography and public health. Numerous studies
undertaken since then have concluded consistent exposure to pornography leads to
addiction. The symptoms are similar to drug or cigarette addiction. The
consumer is hooked, over time more hardcore pornography is needed to arouse and
stimulate. This is followed by desensitization and finally acting out. While men
are the predominant viewers of pornography, women are more likely to act out the
on screen behavior. Frequent viewing for men has been associated with increased
sexually aggressive behavior. The National Council on Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity
(NCSAC) notes that 70-75% of sex addicts have considered suicide, 60% have
financial problems, 58% take part in illegal activities and 83% struggle with alcoholism,
drug addiction or compulsive behavior.
Performers
In the December 2012 issue of Sexually Transmitted
Diseases, a study done on 168
sex industry performers, 112 women and
56 men, 47 of the performers were diagnosed with a total of 96 infections. More
troubling was that porn industry protocols significantly under reported 95% of oropharyngeal
and 91% of rectal infections, as the conditions were asymptomatic. These
performers were sexual active not only within the industry, but outside in
the general public, passing infections onto unsuspecting partners. The list of
conditions these porn performers were prone to included; HIV, rectal and throat
gonorrhea, tearing of the throat, vagina and anus, chlamydia of the eye.
The industry indifference to the health concerns of those working in the pornography has forced some local authorities to take action. When Derrick Burts, a porn actor was diagnosed HIV-positive at the Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation in December 2010, California State and local Los Angeles officials claimed the clinic failed to cooperate with their investigation into other possible infections (Mohajer, 2011). Burts said that instead of getting information from the clinic on how to get follow-up care, he was told to avoid the media, change his phone number and leave town.
The industry indifference to the health concerns of those working in the pornography has forced some local authorities to take action. When Derrick Burts, a porn actor was diagnosed HIV-positive at the Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation in December 2010, California State and local Los Angeles officials claimed the clinic failed to cooperate with their investigation into other possible infections (Mohajer, 2011). Burts said that instead of getting information from the clinic on how to get follow-up care, he was told to avoid the media, change his phone number and leave town.
The Politics of Pornography
For decades legislators have wrestled
over pornography as a public health issue.
Attempts by Congress to regulate pornography
through the Communications Decency Act (CDA) and the Child Online Protection
Act (COPA) met with rejection by the Supreme Court as being too broad, violating
the First Amendment Right to Free Speech.
The challenge the Court faces in arriving at a judgment on pornography is circumscribed against any moral considerations based on religion. Pornography is a by-product of the attempt to separate sexuality from religion. Supporters of pornography are mostly secular and well-educated intellectuals. The desire of secular thinkers to rid the world of religion, seen as superstition, requires breaking the connection between morality and sex. Over half of all religious strictures in Islam relate to sex and the relationship between men and women. There are similar strictures in Judaism. In Christianity, sex was seen as part of the sacrament of marriage and a key component of family life. In the search to find a substitute for the emotional and spiritual uplift supplied by religions, secular thinkers turned to art, music and literature. Many works now accepted as literature such as, “Lady Chatterley Lover” by DH Lawrence were once deemed obscene. For most of the 20th Century, until the 1973 Miller v California Supreme Court ruling, pornography was illegal in the US. The central issue in the case was who determines what is obscene. The timing of the ruling coincided with the beginning of the Gay Liberation and Feminist movements. For both gays and many feminists the traditional views of sex and gender had to be challenged to affect the changes they wanted to see happen. That meant attacking centuries-old religious inspired notions of sexual behavior. Instead of being a sacrament, sex was reframed as a biological component of being human. Pornography maybe distasteful, but it was not wrong. The Supreme Court unable to come up with a definitive ruling decided it was best left up to local community standards.
The challenge the Court faces in arriving at a judgment on pornography is circumscribed against any moral considerations based on religion. Pornography is a by-product of the attempt to separate sexuality from religion. Supporters of pornography are mostly secular and well-educated intellectuals. The desire of secular thinkers to rid the world of religion, seen as superstition, requires breaking the connection between morality and sex. Over half of all religious strictures in Islam relate to sex and the relationship between men and women. There are similar strictures in Judaism. In Christianity, sex was seen as part of the sacrament of marriage and a key component of family life. In the search to find a substitute for the emotional and spiritual uplift supplied by religions, secular thinkers turned to art, music and literature. Many works now accepted as literature such as, “Lady Chatterley Lover” by DH Lawrence were once deemed obscene. For most of the 20th Century, until the 1973 Miller v California Supreme Court ruling, pornography was illegal in the US. The central issue in the case was who determines what is obscene. The timing of the ruling coincided with the beginning of the Gay Liberation and Feminist movements. For both gays and many feminists the traditional views of sex and gender had to be challenged to affect the changes they wanted to see happen. That meant attacking centuries-old religious inspired notions of sexual behavior. Instead of being a sacrament, sex was reframed as a biological component of being human. Pornography maybe distasteful, but it was not wrong. The Supreme Court unable to come up with a definitive ruling decided it was best left up to local community standards.
The Economic Power of Pornography
The pornographic industry generates worldwide
revenues of $100 billion. The US is the largest producer and consumers of
pornography, accounting for $13.5 billion. That figure exceeds the revenue of the professional
football, basketball and baseball franchises combined. The enormous sums generated
by the industry have created strange bedfellows. Until, they were outed by the
New York Times, Goldman Sachs owned up to 16% of Village Voice Media, a company
sued for running sex trafficking ads. For Telephone, cable and satellite
providers pornography is a major profit center.
In the November 2012 elections, a local measure
on the Los Angeles ballot, Measure B requiring the use of condoms for vaginal and
anal sex in porn films was passed with 55.9% of the vote. The opponents of
Measure B pulled out all the stops to prevent the measure getting on the ballot
and funded a media blitz campaign for its defeat. Who were these opponents? The
San Gabriel Valley Legislative Coalition of Chambers of Commerce and the Valley
Industry and Commerce Association (Vica), the latter sponsored by the likes of Chase
Bank, Walmart and Southwest Airline. Along
with them in the pro-business corner promoting unsafe sex was the Los Angeles County
Republican Party and the Los Angeles County Republican Women’s Federation.
Lining up with these pro-business neoliberal industry and political
heavyweights were left of center politicians such as the Free Speech Coalition,
Larry Flynt and John Stagliano, owner of hard core porn site Evil Angel, as well
as porn studios such as Vivid. One of biggest contributors of the campaign to defeat
Measure B was Manwin, a foreign porn cartel. To confuse the issue, groups with
names like the Coalition for Senior Citizenry and the Council of Concerned Women
Voters were set up to be alleged opponents of the measure. The measure sponsored
by the Aids Healthcare Foundation (AHF) was not just a victory for a small underfunded
group of activists against powerful and well-funded opponents, but for public
health in general.
Health Policy and Pornography
The numerous studies exploring the
societal impact of pornography demonstrate conclusively that there are serious
health and societal impacts. To resolve
these issues the industry should be subject to regulation and new legal
constraints. The growth of pornography can be attributed to Access,
Affordability and Anonymity. These are the areas that should be addressed.
Legal Policy
The Supreme Court needs to revisit the
1973 Miller ruling, most of political gains made by feminist, gays and others are
now achieved. Psychologists and
sociologist have delineated behaviors that can be construed as pornographic as
opposed to artistic statements or free speech. The primary aim of pornography is to arouse
the viewer by portraying sexual relations that violate conventional standards.
Two aspects of this are, violence against women, portrayed as willing victims
and degradation. Both these aspects can
be classed as criminal intent to do harm.
Internet Regulations
A new .xxx suffix is needed and to be
the exclusive domain of pornographers.
Effectively, porn sites will be moved
from the commercial realms of .com, .us, .org, .net, .tv etc. Critics argue
that pornographers will relocate offshore and avoid regulation. This can be
addressed by making it the responsibility of the internet service providers to
block ISPs that carry pornography on anything other than .xxx designations. ISP
providers will be very
alert to pirate pornography sites on
their commercial .com servers, as blocking an ISP will affect their regular
commercial clients.
As stated earlier, 66% of adolescents
were directed to pornography sites unwittingly.
This is done by web designers using
“spam” “redirecting” and “mousetrapping.” In this case, the viewer did not make
a conscious choice but was kidnapped.
There is no basis for the argument concerning limiting of free
speech. These web processes should be
outlawed and sites that use these processes fined or taken down.
Economic Regulation
Pornography is big business, generating
$100 billion annually. Governments need to impose a “sin” tax similar to that
imposed on alcohol and cigarette. Opponent claim that this is not possible,
because of the chaotic nature of the Internet. This is true to a point, but
every internet user is connected through a major service provider; the cable,
telephone or wireless companies. Public Utilities such as the gas, water and
electric companies are capable of monitoring use and paying the government
additional levies. Privacy advocates worry that the government regulations will
invade the privacy of the public. That needs not be the case if pornographic
sites in addition to being taxed are given a special .xxx suffix address. Taxing pornography on a special designation
will reduce the impact on adolescents, as the availability and costs will out
of their reach.
Protection for Performers
Performers in pornography should be required
to have constant physical and psychological check- ups. Gail Dines, a professor
of sociology and women’s studies at Wheelock College stated that; “body-punishing,
brutal pornography” has become “the number one most profitable pornography,”
and she argued that poverty, racism, and sexism drive the industry. “In an ideal
world, they would have trouble finding women who would elect to do this” for employment,
she said, adding that she views pornography as propaganda for a patriarchic
social structure. This is not true. There are women and men in the industry who
are dedicated to being sex performers and see it as a lucrative career. There
are many female owned pornographic producers most notably former porn star Jenna
Jameson.
Summary
These proposals do not seek to ban
pornography but to regulate it, just like any
other large industrial concern. The US
has Health and Safety laws overseen by OSHA,
and the protections offered to employees
in other industries should be extended to porn
performers. Similarly, it behooves
society to protect the social and emotional wellbeing of children and adults.
This can be achieved by taxes making pornography less available and by
reasonable regulations imposed on
service providers.
References
Perrin, Paul, et al. Health education’s
role in framing pornography as a public health issue: local and national
strategies. Promotion and Education, 2008 15.(1), pp11-18
Rothman, Emily, F et al. Multi-person
Sex among a Sample of Adolescent Female Urban Clinic Patients. Journal of Urban
Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, Vol 89, No 1, pp
129-137
Mohajer, Shaya, Porn trade group has
plans for actor’s care, Huffington Post, May 26 2011
Dines, Gail. LA County's Measure B is a major
win for safe sex in adult entertainment, Guardian UK, Nov 12 2012
