Arizona Bill Would Declare Porn A “Public Health Crisis”

Arizona Central reports:

Citing concerns about the proliferation of erotic images online and their “toxic” effect on behavior, Arizona lawmakers are pushing to declare pornography a public health crisis. State Rep. Michelle Udall, R-Mesa, introduced a measure that declares the crisis and states porn “perpetuates a sexually toxic environment that damages all areas of our society.”

“Like the tobacco industry, the pornography industry has created a public health crisis,” Udall told lawmakers. “Pornography is used pervasively, even by minors.” Udall’s proposal, House Concurrent Resolution 2009, is largely symbolic and has no legal effect, but supporters say they hope it opens the door to new restrictions on porn.

Similar measures declaring a crisis have passed in at least 11 states, using similar text from model legislation written by the National Center on Sexual Exploitation. The group, formerly known as Morality in Media, contends porn is directly connected to other acts of exploitation.

Morality In Media was launched in 1962 on Manhattan’s Upper East Side by a Catholic priest who went on to become an anti-porn crusader for the Reagan administration.