Utah Picked the Wrong Crisis: Porn

A Utah state senator is grabbing conservative attention by reiterating its (predominantly) Mormon religion's stance against pornography. Governor Gary Herbert signed a bill just this week that took only a couple months from announcement to unanimous approval in the house, to signing.

The bill merely declares pornography a "public health crisis", and will issue requests to businesses to block pornographic sites on their public internet Wifi. Supporters of the bill wish to decry the "evil, addictive, and harmful nature" of porn, and protect children from coming across it.

This move is ironic considering the other major sex-related problems in the state: STDs are on the rise hitting records, and public school sex-education is opt-in only--something Mormon parents in Utah wouldn't do.

Related is BYU's Honor Code policy that essentially punishes students that wish to file a claim for rape or sexual assault. A student may confide that he/she was assaulted, but almost all claims are forwarded to the Honor Code Office. And the Honor Code office almost always punishes the victim for violating the Honor Code, even if the assault is investigated. The strict policies can kick out students that are found having the opposite gender in their living areas after curfew, having sex before marriage, or using drugs or alcohol. For fear of punishment for participating in any of these unrelated activities before the assault, victims are usually dissuaded from reporting the crime--emboldening assailants.

Kids in Utah--if they're lucky enough to have parents sign the permission slip that lets them enter the sex-education class--are subjected to an "abstinence-based" curriculum. Abstinence has been long known as the worst method of conveying sexual safety. Utah teachers are not allowed to mention condoms (let alone provide them), methods of contraception, or bring up anything related to homosexuality or transgender.

With no formal discussion on how to prevent teenage pregnancies or STIs, and with only the statement "don't have sex" looming in a teen's mind, all a kid can do is contemplate doing exactly what they are told not to.

Harmful forms of pornography are rare--by harmful, I mean promotes violent and unsafe sexual activities. At least viewing pornography is the one sexual activity that does not have any chance of contracting an STI or impregnating a woman. The ROOT of the problem (teen pregnancies, STIs, harmful porn) is a lack of comprehensive sex-education. Why doesn't Utah have it? The state legislature thinks it's icky, and parents are not doing a proper job preparing their children for potential sexual activity.

Morals and standards aside, most kids will dabble in something sexual before getting married. Without the knowledge that condoms and contraceptives are safe practices to avoid getting pregnant or an STI, kids are going to get pregnant and STIs. This isn't just kids either. The lack of education carries on into adulthood. It would take "learning the hard way" for many adults to realize how to prevent such unwanted consequences.

Parents in Utah are usually Mormon, and usually hammering on their kids to not have sex--sex is bad, and only "just ok" after marriage. Even then, it's only purpose is to make babies. When a kid has questions about sex, it's usually a conversation that begins and ends with "don't do it--stay abstinent". Such sheltering and suppression in teens that have unbearable sexual feelings almost always end in an all-out rebellion. Finding the raunchiest porn (since it's the least "sinful" sex action), to masturbation, to sexual experimentation without protection.

The crisis here is not pornography. It's only a result. And not even the big issue. Parents are the issue. Parents and the Utah legislature are preventing the only known methods of statistically reducing the chances of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. And what happens when there are fewer unwanted pregnancies? Fewer abortions! If a conservative hates abortions so much, then it would seem reasonable to support education that helps reduce the pregnancies that usually result in abortions.

But again, the Mormon ruled land will do as the Mormon leaders say without thinking for itself. Declaring porn as a public health crisis will give people a few warm fuzzies. But it won't solve anything, and certainly doesn't address the root of the problems that the LDS culture continues to ignore.

http://www.sltrib.com/blogs/3795566-155/debate-no-sex-please-were-utahns?page=1

http://www.sltrib.com/news/3794990-155/woman-files-federal-complaint-against-byu

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2016/04/19/3770705/anti-porn-resolution-utah/

http://www.sltrib.com/news/3795327-155/utah-ceremonially-declares-porn-a-public

http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/2382827-155/op-ed-utahs-sex-ed-policy-is-doing