Pornography declared ‘Public Health Crisis’ by Utah Senate

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Unanimous vote in Utah labels porn dangerous to public health.

According to Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah, pornography is something that should be fought against by people from all faiths. He said that all the religious leaders have already spoken against it. Holland was speaking at the 14th annual Utah Coalition Against Pornography conference held at the Salt Palace. He said that pornography is an infectious disease that, if not eradicated, will destroy the moral base of society.

Pornography declared ‘Public Health Crisis’ by Utah Senate[/tweetthis]

The LDS Church released an instructional video for parents on what to do if their children see pornography.

Utah recently passed a resolution that declared pornography as a public health crisis. It is the first resolution of its kind in the entire United States. The bill was approved in the month of February by the Utah Senate. The vote was unanimous, 24-0. Not even a single person voted against the bill. The resolution will be sent to Gary Herbert, the Governor of Utah for his signature.


The resolution says that the state recognizes pornography as a health hazard. It can cause harm to the mind and body of individuals, and can cause harm to the society as a whole. Pornography can create an environment that may be sexually toxic. It can hyper-sexualize teenagers and young children. It can impact the brain in such a way that people will have trouble having intimate relationships.

A young man or an adult over addicted to porn may see women and children as mere sexual objects. It may also lessen the desire in young men to get married. Infidelity, dissatisfied marriage may all be the result of porn-addiction.

In the wake of passing the resolution, Susan Dennin, spokesperson for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City, Utah, said that the resolution confirms the belief of the Church in the dignity of men and women that cannot be violated in any way and the gift of marriage and sexuality in the plan of God for human beings.

Senator Todd Weiler of Utah, who is also a sponsor of the resolution, said that pornography has become such an issue in the society that it can no longer be ignored. Pretending that it will not affect your life is naive. He said pornography should also be dealt in the same way the tobacco problem was dealt with after evidence showed its harmful effects. Weiler said that his intention is to start a nationwide movement with the resolution, to protect the children from pornography.

According to the statistics from anti-porn activists, porn sites get more visitors than Twitter, Amazon and Netflix combined, in a month. 93% of boys and 62% of girls are exposed to pornography before the age of 18. This can be attributed to the easy and unrestricted access to porn sites.

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