Opposition to pornography

Anti-pornography protest on Oxford Street, London

Reasons for opposition to pornography include religious objections,Template:Refn moral values,Template:Refn feminist concerns, as well as harmful effects, such as pornography addiction and erectile dysfunction. Pornography addiction is not a condition recognized by the DSM-5,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Sfn the ICD-11,Template:Sfn<ref name="Martinez-Gilliard 2023 p. 113"/> or the DSM-5-TR.<ref name="Martinez-Gilliard 2023 p. 113">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Prause Binnie 2023 p=136346072311570">Template:Cite journal</ref> Anti-pornography movements have allied disparate social activists in opposition to pornography, from social conservatives to harm reduction advocates. The definition of "porn" varies between countries and movements, and many make distinctions between pornography, which they oppose, and erotica, which they consider acceptable. Sometimes opposition will deem certain forms of pornography more or less harmful, while others draw no such distinctions.

A 2018 Gallup survey reported that 43% of U.S. adults believe that pornography is "morally acceptable", a 7% increase from 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> From 1975 to 2012, the gender gap in pornography opposition has widened, with more women increasingly opposed to pornography, and men's opposition rate declining faster.<ref name="Lykke-2015">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Religious views

Most world religions hold negative opinions about pornography which stem from a variety of rationales,Template:Refn including concerns about human dignity, modesty, chastity, and other virtues.Template:Refn

In Judaism and Christianity, there are numerous<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> verses in the Bible which are usually cited as condemning fornication and adultery, notably the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew Template:Bibleverse-nb, which states that "anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."<ref name="Mohrlang 2009">Template:Cite book</ref> The Catechism of the Catholic Church explicitly condemns pornography because it "offends against chastity" and "does grave injury to the dignity of its participants", since "each one becomes an object of base pleasure and illicit profit for others".<ref name="CCC 1997"/>

Islam also forbids adultery and fornication,<ref name="Baldi 2021"/> and various verses of the Quran have been cited as condemning pornography and lustfulness,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> including Surah An-Nur (Template:Qref), which tells Muslim women to "lower their gaze and guard their chastity, and not to reveal their adornments, except what normally appears",<ref name="Baldi 2021"/> and Muslim men to "lower their gaze and guard their chastity. That is purer for them. Surely, Allah is All-Aware of what they do."<ref name="Baldi 2021">Template:Cite book</ref>

Feminist views

Some feminists are opposed to pornography, arguing that it is an industry which exploits women and is complicit in violence against women, both in its production (where they present evidence that abuse and exploitation of women performing in pornography is rampant) and in its consumption (where pornography eroticizes the domination, humiliation, and coercion of women, and reinforces sexual and cultural attitudes that are complicit in rape and sexual harassment).<ref>Morgan, Robin (1974). "Theory and Practice: Pornography and Rape". In: Going Too Far: The Personal Chronicle of a Feminist. Random House. Template:ISBN.</ref> They charge that pornography contributes to the male-centered objectification of women and thus to sexism.<ref>MacKinnon, Catharine (1987). Feminism Unmodified: Discourses on Life and Law. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. pp. 146–150.</ref> Andrea Dworkin was a feminist famously opposed to the pornography industry, and proposed the Antipornography Civil Rights Ordinance in several American cities in the 1980s. In 2015, feminist Gail Dines founded Culture Reframed, which responds to the growing pornography industry by providing education and support for healthy child and youth development.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

However, many other feminists are opposed to censorship, and have argued against the introduction of anti-porn legislation in the United States, among them Betty Friedan, Kate Millett, Karen DeCrow, Wendy Kaminer and Jamaica Kincaid.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Some sex-positive feminists actively support pornography that depicts female sexuality in a positive way, without objectifying or demeaning women, whereas some other feminists don't see any problem with the industry in its current state, given the subjective nature of perceiving humiliation or aggressiveness in a consensual context as something demeaning or negative.<ref>Nadine Strossen, Template:Cite web</ref>

Conservative views

Religious conservatives commonly oppose pornography, along with a subset of feminists, though their reasoning may differ.<ref name="Lykke-2015" /> Many religious conservatives view pornography as a threat to children. Some conservative Catholics and Protestants oppose pornography because they believe that it encourages non-procreative sex, encourages abortion, and can be connected to the rise of sexually transmitted diseases.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Nzwili2020">Template:Cite web</ref>

Concerned Women For America (CWA) is a conservative organization that opposes same-sex marriage and abortion. When discussing violence against women, the CWA often uses pornography to illustrate their points. The CWA asserts that pornography is a major reason why men inflict harm on women.<ref name="Schreiber-2008">Template:Cite book</ref> The CWA argues that pornography convinces men to disrespect their wives and neglect their marriages, thereby threatening the sanctity of traditional marriage. Unlike other issues CWA has tackled, they are less forcefully anti-feminist when it comes to the topic of pornography, as many of their points surrounding why pornography is distasteful parallels those of anti-pornography feminists.<ref name="Schreiber-2008" />

Some extremist Christian and far-right groups have issued death threats towards porn managers and sex workers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Rosenbach Müller Höfner Baumgärtner 2021">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="DLey 2018">Template:Cite web</ref>

Science-based views

Dolf Zillmann argued in the 1986 publication "Effects of Prolonged Consumption of Pornography" that extensive viewing of pornographic material produces many unfavorable political effects, including a decreased respect for long-term monogamous relationships, and an attenuated desire for procreation.<ref name="Zillman"/> He describes the theoretical basis of these experimental findings:

The values expressed in pornography clash so obviously with the family concept, and they potentially undermine the traditional values that favor marriage, family, and children... Pornographic scripts dwell on sexual engagements of parties who have just met, who are in no way attached or committed to each other, and who will part shortly, never to meet again... Sexual gratification in pornography is not a function of emotional attachment, of kindness, of caring, and especially not of continuance of the relationship, as such continuance would translate into responsibilities, curtailments, and costs...Template:Sfn

A study by Zillman in 1982 also indicated that prolonged exposure to pornography desensitized both men and women toward victims of sexual violence. After being shown pornographic movies, test subjects were asked to judge an appropriate punishment for a rapist. The test subjects recommended incarceration terms that were significantly more lenient than those recommended by control subjects who had not watched pornography.<ref name="Zillman"/> Some researchers like Zillman believe that pornography causes unequivocal harm to society by increasing rates of sexual assault.<ref name="Zillman"/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Other researchers believe that there is a correlation between pornography and a decrease of sex crimes; exhibiting a strong disbelief in the claim that pornography is a cause of rape; mainstream science does not claim that pornography would be a cause of rape.<ref name="Diamond, M">Sources for 'cause of rape':Template:Bulleted list</ref>

The appropriation of the sexually explicit in American culture and society is part of what has been called "the pornification of America".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Rape culture is often discussed when it comes to pornography, and is defined by society victim-blaming women because of their rape. It is known as society making rape less substantial. Some of the most searched titles on pornography websites is rape scenes.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

The impact of pornography can vary significantly among teenagers and across cultures, depending on specific constellations of personality traits. Research indicates that special attention may be required for highly frequent consumers of pornography, those who actively seek sexually violent content, and individuals with additional risk factors.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Male adolescents at a more advanced pubertal stage, characterized as sensation seekers with weak or troubled family relations, tended to use pornography more frequently. This usage correlated with more permissive sexual attitudes and stronger gender-stereotypical sexual beliefs. Additionally, it appeared to be associated with engaging in sexual intercourse, having greater experience with casual sex behavior, and an increased likelihood of involvement in sexual aggression, both as perpetrators and victims.<ref name="valken">Template:Cite journal</ref> The authors of the review state that the impact of pornography upon the brains of teenagers is a suggestion (what scientific literature suggests) rather than a scientific fact.<ref name="valken"/> That is, the data are suggestive rather than conclusive.<ref name="valken"/>

In a 2021 review of recent pornography research, K. Camille Hoagland & Joshua B. Grubbs posit that "Specifically, mere pornography use itself was most often not associated with sexual functioning in either direction, but self-reported problematic use of pornography was consistently associated with more sexual functioning problems."<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Some studies suggest that children and youths are more susceptible to the neurological effects of pornography consumption than adults, however this lacks direct empirical evidence.<ref name="Brown Wisco 2019 pp. 10–13">Template:Cite journal</ref> This can be attributed to considerable ethical problems with performing such research.<ref name="Binik Mah Kiesler 1999 pp. 82–90">Template:Cite journal</ref> Since those problems are a huge obstacle, it is likely that such research will not be allowed, thus possibly it could never be known.<ref name="Dallas News 2014">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="The New York Times 2014">Template:Cite web</ref> Rory Reid (UCLA) declared "Universities don't want their name on the front page of a newspaper for an unethical study exposing minors to porn."<ref name="Dallas News 2014"/><ref name="The New York Times 2014"/> Repeated cross-sectional surveys did not detect any correlation between pornography use and mental problems of teenagers, since the curve is U-shaped, with both too low and too high consumption of pornography being problematic.<ref name="s687">Template:Cite journal</ref>

While the World Health Organization's ICD-11 (2022) has recognized compulsive sexual behaviour disorder (CSBD) as an "impulsive control disorder",<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> CSBD is not classified as an addiction;<ref>Sources for 'CSBD is not an addiction':Template:Bulleted list</ref> the American Psychiatric Association's DSM-5 (2013) and the DSM-5-TR (2022) do not classify compulsive pornography consumption as a mental disorder or a behavioral addiction.Template:Refn According to Emily F. Rothman, "The professional public health community is not behind the recent push to declare pornography a public health crisis."<ref name="Rothman 2021 p. 2">Template:Cite book</ref> The ideas supporting the "crisis" have been described as pseudoscientific.<ref name="de Jong Faulkenberry Konda Joyner 2022 p. ">Template:Cite book</ref>

See also

• Anti-pornography movement in the United Kingdom
• Anti-pornography movement in the United States
• Template:Section link
• Effects of pornography
• Nymwar
• Pornography addiction
• Pornography by region
• Religious views on pornography
• Stanley v. Georgia
• Scunthorpe problem
• Women Against Pornography
• Women Against Violence in Pornography and Media

Further reading

Anti-pornography advocacy

• Susan Brownmiller (1999). In Our Time: Memoir of a Revolution. The Dial Press. Template:ISBN.
• Victor Cline (1994). Pornography effects: Empirical and clinical evidence. Template:ISBN
• Nikki Craft, long-time political, anti-pornography activist and prolific writer on feminist subjects
• Andrea Dworkin (1979). Pornography: Men Possessing Women. Template:ISBN.
• Susan Griffin. Pornography and Silence: Culture's Revenge Against Nature. New York: Harper, 1981.
• Craig Gross, founder of XXXchurch.com, a non-profit Christian organization that educates on the dangers of pornography use and involvement
• Robert Jensen (2007). Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity. Cambridge, MA: South End Press. Template:ISBN.
• Gail Dines / Robert Jensen / Ann Russo (1998). Pornography: The Production and Consumption of Inequality. Routledge. Template:ISBN.
• Susanne Kapeller (1986). The Pornography of Representation. Polity Press, Cambridge, UK Template:ISBN.
• Michael Kimmel (1991). Men Confront Pornography. New York: Meridian — Random House. Template:ISBN. (a variety of essays that try to assess ways that pornography may take influence or harm men)
• Shelley Lubben, former porn performer and self-described "porn missionary"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> who counsels active porn performers on how to escape the industry<ref name="cbn">Template:Cite news</ref> (2010). Truth Behind the Fantasy of Porn: The Greatest Illusion on Earth. CreateSpace. Template:ISBN.
• Catharine MacKinnon (1985). Pornography, Civil Rights, and Speech. 20 Harv. C.R.-C.L. L. Rev. 1 (arguing that pornography is one of the mechanisms of power used to maintain gender inequality)
• Donny Pauling, former pornographic producer who currently speaks about the unseen side of porn that is damaging to the women involved; frequently worked with Craig Gross of XXXChurch, until pleading to a six-year underage sex sentencing
• Christine Stark and Rebecca Whisnant (2004). Template:Cite book

Criticism of anti-pornography

• Susie Bright. "Susie Sexpert's Lesbian Sex World and Susie Bright's Sexual Reality: A Virtual Sex World Reader", San Francisco, CA: Cleis Press, 1990 and 1992. Challenges any easy equation between feminism and anti-pornography positions.
• Betty Dodson. "Feminism and Free speech: Pornography." Feminists for Free Expression 1993. 8 May 2002.
• Kate Ellis. Caught Looking: Feminism, Pornography, and Censorship. New York: Caught Looking Incorporated, 1986.
• Matthew Gever. "Pornography Helps Women, Society", UCLA Bruin, 1998-12-03.
• Michele Gregory. "Pro-Sex Feminism: Redefining Pornography (or, a study in alliteration: the pro pornography position paper) "<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Gayle Rubin, "Dangerous, Misguided, and Wrong: An Analysis of Anti-Pornograph Politics." In "Bad Girl and Dirty Pictures," ed. Carol Assuster (1993).
• Andrea Juno and V. Vale. Angry Women, Re/Search # 12. San Francisco, CA: Re/Search Publications, 1991. Performance artists and literary theorists who challenge Dworkin and MacKinnon's claim to speak on behalf of all women.
  • "A Feminist Overview of Pornography, Ending in a Defense Thereof"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • "A Feminist Defense of pornography"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Ley, David, Prause, Nicole, & Finn, Peter. (2014). The Emperor Has No Clothes: A review of the "Pornography Addiction" model. Current Sexual Health Reports, manuscript in press.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Annalee Newitz. "Obscene Feminists: Why Women Are Leading the Battle Against Censorship." San Francisco Bay Guardian Online 8 May 2002. 9 May 2002<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Nadine Strossen:
  • "Defending Pornography: Free Speech, Sex and the Fight for Women's Rights" (Template:ISBN)
  • "Nadine Strossen: Pornography Must Be Tolerated"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Scott Tucker. "Gender, Fucking, and Utopia: An Essay in Response to John Stoltenberg's Refusing to Be a Man."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> in Social Text 27 (1991): 3-34. Critique of Stoltenberg and Dworkin's positions on pornography and power.
• Carole Vance, Editor. "Pleasure and Danger: Exploring Female Sexuality". Boston: Routledge, 1984. Collection of papers from 1982 conference; visible and divisive split between anti-pornography activists and lesbian S&M theorists.