HF 1788

as introduced - 90th Legislature (2017 - 2018) Posted on 03/06/2018 08:58am

A resolution
recognizing pornography as a public health hazard leading to a broad spectrum of
individual and public health impacts and societal harms and memorializing Congress
to recognize this hazard and address pornography at a national level.

WHEREAS, pornography is creating a public health crisis; and

WHEREAS, pornography perpetuates a sexually toxic environment; and

WHEREAS, efforts to prevent pornography exposure and addiction, to educate individuals
and families concerning its harms, and to develop recovery programs must be addressed systemically
in ways that address root causes of the harm; and

WHEREAS, pornography is contributing to the hypersexualization of children and youth in
our society; and

WHEREAS, owing to advances in technology and the universal availability of the Internet,
young children are exposed to what used to be referred to as hardcore, but is now considered
mainstream, pornography at an alarming rate; and

WHEREAS, the average age of exposure to pornography is now 11 to 12 years of age; and

WHEREAS, this early exposure is leading to low self-esteem and body image disorders, an
increase in problematic sexual activity at younger ages, and an increased desire among children
and youth to engage in harmful sexual behavior; and

WHEREAS, due to limited access to accurate information about healthy relationships,
exposure to pornography too often serves as children's and youths' sex education and shapes their
sexual templates; and

WHEREAS, because pornography treats people as objects and commodities for the viewer's
use, it teaches girls that they are to be used and teaches boys to be users; and

WHEREAS, pornography normalizes violence and abuse; and

WHEREAS, pornography treats people as objects and often depicts rape and abuse as if such
acts are harmless; and

WHEREAS, pornography equates violent acts with sex and increases the demand for sex
trafficking, prostitution, images of child sexual abuse, and child pornography; and

WHEREAS, use of pornography can negatively affect brain development and functioning,
contribute to emotional and medical illnesses, shape deviant sexual arousal, and lead to difficulty
in forming or maintaining intimate relationships, as well as problematic or harmful sexual behaviors
and addiction; and

WHEREAS, recent research indicates that pornography can be biologically addictive, which
means the user requires more novelty, often in the form of more shocking material, in order to be
satisfied; and

WHEREAS, this biological addiction leads to increasing themes of harmful sexual behaviors,
extreme degradation, violence, child sexual abuse, and child pornography; and

WHEREAS, pornography use is linked to lessening desire in young men to marry,
dissatisfaction in marriage, and infidelity; and

WHEREAS, this link demonstrates that pornography has a detrimental effect on the individual,
the family, their relationships, and the community; and

WHEREAS, overcoming pornography's harms can be beyond the capability of the individual
to address alone; NOW, THEREFORE,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota that it (1) recognizes
pornography as a public health hazard leading to a broad spectrum of individual and public health
impacts and societal harms; and (2) recognizes the need for education, prevention, research, and
policy change at the community and societal level in order to address the pornography epidemic
that is harming the people of the State of Minnesota and the nation.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of State of the State of Minnesota is directed
to prepare copies of this memorial and transmit them to the President of the United States and
Minnesota's Senators and Representatives in Congress.