Pros and Cons - Debbie Newman, Ben Woolgar 2014

Pornography
Section E. Social, moral and religious

Pornography laws vary from country to country. The Internet has changed the nature of the debate as anyone with a computer now has unlimited access to a vast world of online pornography. It is harder to regulate both the production and the viewing of pornography in this area, so is it time to accept it as a healthy part of our sexuality? It is assumed in this debate that anything that is illegal in reality should also be in pornography, so child pornography, rape, bestiality, etc. are outside the scope of the debate and the Proposition team should clarify that.

Pros

[1] We aspire to live in states free of censorship. Censorship is only to be used as a last resort to protect groups which might be put in danger by certain material. So, for example, many states have legislation against incitement to racial hatred. This is a form of censorship. But in the case of pornography, this does not apply, since no one is harmed by the photographing or filming of consenting adults for publication to other adults for their sexual pleasure.

[2] Pornography legitimately explores the realms of sexual fantasy, which is a rich aspect of human experience that it is prudish, oppressive and ignorant to deny. Admittedly, it is desirable that the availability of pornography should be restricted to adults only, but for them there should be no restrictions. Pornography is used by many couples as a way to spice up their sex life, and hence even acts as a way to strengthen and stabilise marriages and relationships. It is not true that all of the images available are misogynistic; many show women in empowered positions.

[3] Pornography can be part of a wide spectrum of approaches to sex and entertainment that are available. There is no need to ban it. Some people may be turned on by less explicit films and novels, but that does not mean there is no place at all for pornography for those who enjoy its direct approach.

[4] A clear distinction needs to be made between pornography made and used by consenting adults and pornography involving children. The latter is always unacceptable and should be attacked with the full force of the law. However, the people involved in popular adult magazines such as Playboy and adult TV stations are not in any way connected with child pornography.

[5] Sexual abuse and rape will exist with or without pornography. Pornography does not cause these crimes, even if some of the perpetrators may like pornography.

[6] The use of potentially suggestive pictures of attractive men and women to sell newspapers, magazines and other products is not an instance of pornography, but a normal and acceptable part of our consumerist culture.

[7] The Internet has allowed people to enjoy pornography in their own homes privately without having to visit sex shops or clubs.The vast amount of pornography available has meant that people can explore their sexuality and find material that caters to their taste. It has also meant that trying to ban pornography is almost impossible, as access is so easy.

[8] The more types of pornography that are legally recognised, the more those involved in the production can be protected. Illegal pornography is a shady world, but a regulated industry could ensure proper pay and working conditions for its workers.

Cons

[1] Young men and women are lured into debasing and objectifying themselves by the economic power of pornographers. Banning pornography would protect against this exploitation and against the objectifying attitudes that pornography engenders. It is naive to say that pornography is harmless.

[2] The availability of pornography, even if it is properly restricted to those over 18 or over 21, sends a message of social consent to the objectifying of women in particular. It encourages young men to see women as sex objects. From an early age, young men, through access to pornography, see women in crude sexual poses rather than seeing them just as fellow humans. Such attitudes are insidious and lead to disrespect and discrimination in the workplace and elsewhere.

[3] Elements of human sexuality can be explored in music, poetry, literature, theatre and films in more subtle, interesting and erotic ways. Pornography is trash in comparison — simply bad photography and bad writing of the most superficial kind.

[4] The more that pornography is tolerated, the more it will spread, and the more cases of abuse and exploitation will occur. There is already a disturbing increase in cases of child pornography, which is the result of a lax attitude to pornography in the past. It is not possible to tell from an image whether a girl is over 18 or whether she has freely consented to be filmed or photographed.

[5] Many rapists and sexual abusers are pornography fanatics. It seems likely that pornography fosters obsessive, unbalanced and violent sexual attitudes. We should ban and seek to wipe out pornography with the same strength as is currently applied to the war on drugs.

[6] Pornography is infiltrating every aspect of the media, from music videos and underwear advertisements to ’lifestyle’ magazines and tabloid newspapers. Some urgent action needs to be taken to counteract this cultural trend. It is disingenuous to suggest that pictures of men and women are used equally to sell products. It is almost exclusively pictures of the half-naked bodies of women that are used, and these pornographic images continue progressively to undermine respect for women as individual human beings.

[7] The Internet has magnified the problems with pornography. People from a younger age than ever before are accessing more pornography, and the material is becoming more graphic. Young boys who grow up with a diet of online pornography have warped expectations of sex and an unhealthy perception of women. Adults are also finding that they are lured into more extreme pornography than they would have accessed before the advent of the Internet, and that ease of use means they spend more time indulging. When anyone can download pornography onto their computers or phone with one click, it is very difficult to regulate things such as whether the user is underage and whether the material has been produced consensually. An outright ban with the criminalisation of production and use is the only effective option.

Possible motions

This House would legalise all adult pornography.

This House believes pornography is harmless fun.

This House believes pornography saves marriages.

This House would ban extreme pornography.

Related topics

Censorship by the state

Marriage

Prostitution, legalisation of

Sex education

Protective legislation v. individual freedom