Pornography

Oregon is one of the most permissive states when it comes to pornography and adult businesses. Since the early 1980s, the Oregon Supreme Court has repeatedly defined pornography as freedom of speech and thus adult businesses have been given tremendous liberty in advertising and business location. The Oregon Family Council believes that pornography is dangerous and destructive to individuals, families, and society in general, and that zoning laws should be established prohibiting adult or porn-related businesses from building near schools, parks, and in communities. We also support the application of internet filters in public libraries to protect children from seeing or obtaining obscene images.

Individuals

Like many drugs, pornography is not something most people can pick up and abandon with ease. For far too many, once they become “hooked,” their satisfaction with “soft-core” porn diminishes and they require something more enticing and stimulating. The effects of a pornographic addiction on an individual were observed by Dr. Victor Cline of the University of Utah in the 1980s as escalatory in nature. As noted in an article by Ryan Hosley and Steve Watters, Dr Cline’s study reveals the progressive nature of pornography in four stages: Addiction, Escalation, Desensitization, and Acting out Sexually. For some, it does not take long before an idle habit becomes an obsession that leads down a dangerous and perhaps criminal road.

Families

The effects of pornography on marriage are well documented, with it being one of the major concerns cited in many divorces. Often a husband’s addiction to porn will displace his desire for intimacy with his wife, leading to marital distress and feelings of inadequacy for his wife. The damage does not stop there, however, as children are neglected and perhaps discover sexually explicit material in the home on computers or in magazines. Once exposed, these children can become susceptible to pornographic addiction themselves or psychological damage.

Society

Although considered private entertainment by many, pornography has a profound impact on communities and in neighborhoods. On a national level, pornography is a 13.3 billion dollar industry, purportedly earning more in revenue than the combined revenues of network giants ABC, NBC, and CBS. In Oregon, it is not rare to see an adult video or XXX store just up the street from a public library or park. More often than not, the clientele frequenting these establishments are not the kind of people you want near your children while playing in the park or walking to and from school. Similarly, with the proliferation of pornography on the internet, and the utter lack of filters and adult supervision, public computers in libraries and schools are no longer safe for children to surf the web.