Ohio to Consider Resolution Labeling Porn ‘Public Health Hazard’

Right-wing Christian activist Aaron Baer last week appeared at the Ohio state capitol to lobby for a resolution that would declare porn a “public health crisis” in the state—making Ohio the 16th state to give a legislative thumbs-up to the faulty science that supposedly links porn to a variety of “health” issues. According to a report by Columbus Underground, Baer also lobbied for a law to punish doctors who help transgender patients transition to the gender with which they identify. But in his stop at the state house, the conservative political operative told reporters that the #MeToo movement required opening an “honest conversation” about porn. “What should be clear is that we’re not being serious about ending assault and trafficking if we’re not having an honest discussion about pornography,” Baer said, speaking in support of the state’s HR 180. The resolution was introduced last summer by Republican state legislator Jena Powell, citing widely debunked studies that claim to show how porn “promotes problematic or harmful sexual behaviors.” "We have hundreds of studies that show the correlation between pornography and its negative effects on men, and its leading to the abuse of women,” Powell claimed in an interview with Christian media last year. “It's increasing a culture of violence." But a study published last year found no significant link between porn viewing and sexually aggressive or coercive behavior. A study in Canada in 2018 also found that scenes of “aggression” in porn have been decreasing, as consumers show clear preferences to view scenes depicting “pleasure” rather than “non-consensual aggression.” “The overwhelming majority of pornography is not violent, for a simple reason: violence is not what the majority of pornography consumers desire,” psychotherapist Marty Klein, an opponent of the bill, wrote on his blog. “Some anti-porn activists are able to claim huge amounts of violence with cynical coding tricks—for example, by labeling all depictions of fellatio as ‘violence.’” The Ohio porn as “health hazard” resolution is currently under consideration by the state House Health Commitee. Photo by George / Wikimedia Commons