Print
House Concurrent Resolution 8 - Introduced
A Concurrent Resolution 1recognizing the public health
2hazard of pornography and its harmful proliferation
3on the internet and calling for vigorous enforcement
4of obscenity laws and steps to address the crisis of
5easily accessible pornography on the internet.
6WHEREAS, the General Assembly recognizes that
7pornography is creating a public health crisis and
8perpetuates a sexually toxic environment;and
9WHEREAS, efforts to prevent pornography exposure
10and addiction, to educate individuals and families
11concerning its harmful effects, and to develop recovery
12programs must be addressed systemically in a manner
13that holds broader influences accountable;and
14WHEREAS, pornography contributes to the
15hypersexualization of teens and prepubescent children
16in our society;and
17WHEREAS, due to advances in technology and the
18universal availability of the internet, children are
19frequently exposed to what used to be referred to as
20hard-core pornography but is now considered mainstream
21pornography;and
22WHEREAS, a study of university students found that
2393 percent of boys and 62 percent of girls have viewed
24pornography during adolescence;and
25WHEREAS, this exposure leads to low self-esteem and
26body image disorders, an increase in problematic sexual
27activity at younger ages, and a greater likelihood
28of engaging in risky sexual behavior such as the
-1-1transmission of sexually explicit images, hookups,
2multiple sex partners, group sex, and the use of
3substances during adolescent sex;and
4WHEREAS, exposure to pornography often serves as
5sex education for children and youth and shapes their
6sexual templates;and
7WHEREAS, because pornography treats women as objects
8and commodities for the viewer’s use, it teaches girls
9they are to be used and teaches boys to be users;and
10WHEREAS, pornography often depicts rape and abuse as
11being harmless;and
12WHEREAS, pornography fosters less egalitarian
13attitudes and promotes more hostile sexist attitudes
14of men towards women, increased acceptance of rape
15myths, greater likelihood of sexual harassment or
16sexually coercive and forceful behavior by adolescents,
17increased male sexual aggression towards women, more
18pronounced male sexual aggression against women by men
19who are frequent consumers of pornography or who use
20violent pornography, and increased verbal and physical
21aggression among both male and female consumers of
22pornography;and
23WHEREAS, pornography increases the demand for sex
24trafficking, prostitution, and child sexual abuse
25images;and
26WHEREAS, potential detrimental effects on users of
27pornography can impact brain function and development,
28contribute to emotional and medical illnesses, shape
29deviant sexual arousal, and promote problematic or
30harmful sexual behaviors such as harmful child-on-child
-2-1sexual behaviors that occur in school and homes and on
2playgrounds or others settings;and
3WHEREAS, recent research indicates that pornography
4is potentially biologically addictive, which means the
5user requires more novelty, often in the form of more
6shocking material, in order to be satisfied;and
7WHEREAS, this biological addiction leads to an
8increased use of pornography featuring themes of risky
9sexual behaviors, extreme degradation, violence, child
10sexual abuse images, and child pornography;and
11WHEREAS, pornography use is linked to difficulty
12in forming or maintaining intimate relationships, a
13lessening desire in young men to marry, dissatisfaction
14in marriage, and infidelity, demonstrating that this
15link has a detrimental effect on the family unit;and
16WHEREAS, the obscenity industry considers the
17line of legality to be drawn by prosecutors, not by
18legislators, and pornographers in many parts of the
19country self-regulate when state and federal obscenity
20laws are enforced;and
21WHEREAS, overcoming the harm of pornography is
22beyond the capability of the afflicted individuals to
23address alone;NOW THEREFORE,
24BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, THE
25SENATE CONCURRING, That the General Assembly recognizes
26that pornography is a public health hazard which
27leads to a broad spectrum of individual and societal
28harms; recognizes the need for education, prevention,
29research, and policy changes at the local, state, and
30national levels to address the pornography epidemic
-3-1that is harming the people of our state and nation,
2and calls upon the United States Department of Justice
3and members of the federal, state, and local criminal
4justice system to vigorously enforce federal and
5state obscenity laws against commercialized obscenity
6and upon Congress to address the crisis of easily
7accessible pornography on the internet; and
8BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this
9Resolution be sent to the Acting Attorney General of
10the United States Matthew Whitaker, Majority Leader
11of the United States Senate Mitchell McConnell, Jr.,
12Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
13Nancy Pelosi, and each member of Iowa’s congressional
14delegation.
-4-ko/rh
A Concurrent Resolution 1recognizing the public health
2hazard of pornography and its harmful proliferation
3on the internet and calling for vigorous enforcement
4of obscenity laws and steps to address the crisis of
5easily accessible pornography on the internet.
6WHEREAS, the General Assembly recognizes that
7pornography is creating a public health crisis and
8perpetuates a sexually toxic environment;and
9WHEREAS, efforts to prevent pornography exposure
10and addiction, to educate individuals and families
11concerning its harmful effects, and to develop recovery
12programs must be addressed systemically in a manner
13that holds broader influences accountable;and
14WHEREAS, pornography contributes to the
15hypersexualization of teens and prepubescent children
16in our society;and
17WHEREAS, due to advances in technology and the
18universal availability of the internet, children are
19frequently exposed to what used to be referred to as
20hard-core pornography but is now considered mainstream
21pornography;and
22WHEREAS, a study of university students found that
2393 percent of boys and 62 percent of girls have viewed
24pornography during adolescence;and
25WHEREAS, this exposure leads to low self-esteem and
26body image disorders, an increase in problematic sexual
27activity at younger ages, and a greater likelihood
28of engaging in risky sexual behavior such as the
-1-1transmission of sexually explicit images, hookups,
2multiple sex partners, group sex, and the use of
3substances during adolescent sex;and
4WHEREAS, exposure to pornography often serves as
5sex education for children and youth and shapes their
6sexual templates;and
7WHEREAS, because pornography treats women as objects
8and commodities for the viewer’s use, it teaches girls
9they are to be used and teaches boys to be users;and
10WHEREAS, pornography often depicts rape and abuse as
11being harmless;and
12WHEREAS, pornography fosters less egalitarian
13attitudes and promotes more hostile sexist attitudes
14of men towards women, increased acceptance of rape
15myths, greater likelihood of sexual harassment or
16sexually coercive and forceful behavior by adolescents,
17increased male sexual aggression towards women, more
18pronounced male sexual aggression against women by men
19who are frequent consumers of pornography or who use
20violent pornography, and increased verbal and physical
21aggression among both male and female consumers of
22pornography;and
23WHEREAS, pornography increases the demand for sex
24trafficking, prostitution, and child sexual abuse
25images;and
26WHEREAS, potential detrimental effects on users of
27pornography can impact brain function and development,
28contribute to emotional and medical illnesses, shape
29deviant sexual arousal, and promote problematic or
30harmful sexual behaviors such as harmful child-on-child
-2-1sexual behaviors that occur in school and homes and on
2playgrounds or others settings;and
3WHEREAS, recent research indicates that pornography
4is potentially biologically addictive, which means the
5user requires more novelty, often in the form of more
6shocking material, in order to be satisfied;and
7WHEREAS, this biological addiction leads to an
8increased use of pornography featuring themes of risky
9sexual behaviors, extreme degradation, violence, child
10sexual abuse images, and child pornography;and
11WHEREAS, pornography use is linked to difficulty
12in forming or maintaining intimate relationships, a
13lessening desire in young men to marry, dissatisfaction
14in marriage, and infidelity, demonstrating that this
15link has a detrimental effect on the family unit;and
16WHEREAS, the obscenity industry considers the
17line of legality to be drawn by prosecutors, not by
18legislators, and pornographers in many parts of the
19country self-regulate when state and federal obscenity
20laws are enforced;and
21WHEREAS, overcoming the harm of pornography is
22beyond the capability of the afflicted individuals to
23address alone;NOW THEREFORE,
24BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, THE
25SENATE CONCURRING, That the General Assembly recognizes
26that pornography is a public health hazard which
27leads to a broad spectrum of individual and societal
28harms; recognizes the need for education, prevention,
29research, and policy changes at the local, state, and
30national levels to address the pornography epidemic
-3-1that is harming the people of our state and nation,
2and calls upon the United States Department of Justice
3and members of the federal, state, and local criminal
4justice system to vigorously enforce federal and
5state obscenity laws against commercialized obscenity
6and upon Congress to address the crisis of easily
7accessible pornography on the internet; and
8BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this
9Resolution be sent to the Acting Attorney General of
10the United States Matthew Whitaker, Majority Leader
11of the United States Senate Mitchell McConnell, Jr.,
12Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
13Nancy Pelosi, and each member of Iowa’s congressional
14delegation.
-4-ko/rh