The Oklahoma House adopts a resolution recognizing pornography as a public health crisis.
Bartlesville Rep. Travis Dunlap ran the resolution, which was drafted by the National Center on Sexual Exploitation and is similar to measures in other state legislatures.
The resolution, however, mentions a pornography-human trafficking connection just once, instead focusing on harms to porn viewers and society, including "a detrimental effect on the family unit as it is linked to lessening the desire of young men to marry, dissatisfaction in marriage and infidelity."
The resolution also claims recent research, which it does not cite, indicates porn is biologically addictive, "which means the user requires more novelty, which is often in the form of more shocking material, in order to be satisfied. This has led to increasing themes of risky sexual behaviors, extreme degradation, violence and child sexual abuse images or child pornography."
Utah, Arkansas and South Dakota lawmakers have declared porn a public health crisis in their states. Several Republican-controlled states are considering similar measures, and the designation was part of the national Republican Party platform.
The Oklahoma House adopted the measure, but members objected to Dunlap’s motion to list everyone as a co-author.
