HARMING THE BRAIN
Since 2009 there have been over 40 neurological studies that support the reality of compulsive porn use and the negative impacts of porn on the users’ brain structure and function. Research has demonstrated that children are more susceptible than adults to addictions and to developmental effects on the brain. Alvin Winford (2020), Protecting Africa Against the Public Health Harms of Pornography. ANPPCAN, Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation (CESE) Africa.
Porn Shrinks Regions of the Brain. American MRI research found that increased porn use is linked to decreased brain matter in the regions of the brain associated with motivation and decision making. This shrinkage was more pronounced in the heaviest users. Alvin Winford (2020), Protecting Africa Against the Public Health Harms of Pornography. ANPPCAN, Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation (CESE) Africa.
Porn Hijacks the Brain’s Reward Systems. Pornography can hijack the brain’s reward system in the same way that other addictive substances do. Research shows compulsive porn users’ brains light up in the pleasure centers just like a cocaine addict’s when shown activity-specific cues. This is a hallmark of addiction or compulsive use. Alvin Winford (2020), Protecting Africa Against the Public Health Harms of Pornography. ANPPCAN, Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation (CESE) Africa.
Pornography is addictive, and neuroscientists are beginning to map the biological substrate of this addiction. Patrick F. Fagan, PhD (2011), The Effects of Pornography On Individuals, Marriage, Family and Community. Issue Brief, Family Research Council
The Addiction Gets Worse. Using functional MRI, a 2015 study from England found that compulsive sexual behavior is characterized by novelty-seeking, conditioning, and habituation to sexual stimuli in males—meaning users need more extreme content over time in order achieve the same level of arousal. Alvin Winford (2020), Protecting Africa Against the Public Health Harms of Pornography. ANPPCAN, Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation (CESE) Africa
Users tend to become desensitized to the type of pornography's they use, become bored with it, and then seek more perverse forms of pornography. Patrick F. Fagan, PhD (2011), The Effects of Pornography On Individuals, Marriage, Family and Community. Issue Brief, Family Research Council
The lasting effects of pornography use on the human brain are comparable to the impacts of drugs; users experience an unnatural surge of dopamine secretion, causing addiction and a lack of satisfaction in sexual situations without the presence of the stimulant. Pornography users are also predisposed to struggle with depression and anxiety, as well as impulse control and moral decision-making. Pornography also causes users to seek more and more deviant forms of material in order to maintain interest, leading to increased consumption of violent or extremely perverse pornography. In one study, 46.9% of participants said that over time they had begun to watch pornography that had previously repulsed them. Mary Szoch, M.Ed, & Joy Zavalick (2021), Pornography and Its Consequences. Issue Brief, Family Research Council
Exposure to pornography has an actual physical effect on the brain. Addictive chemicals called erototoxins are produced by the body and released by the brain in response to erotic stimuli. Scientific research is now confirming what therapists have recognized for many years: “the repeated viewing of pornographic images creates a chemical addiction in the viewer. That addiction becomes so powerful that it overrides the cognitive functions of the brain that enable a human being to make judgments, to inhibit impulsive action, or to resist engaging in conduct that will bring harm to themselves or others. The addicts are enslaved to the chemical cocktail of endogenous drugs that are produced by the body and released by the brain when it stores pornographic images.” Individuals are frequently consumed by the addiction without regard for the cost or the consequences to themselves or their loved ones.
Pornography Addictions Can Escalate Out of Control. Dr. Victor Cline identified a consistent pattern in pornography addiction over 25 years ago which is even more evident today.
Much like drug addiction, the individual addicted to pornography requires “rougher, more explicit, more deviant” material to achieve the desired sexual stimulation and release.
Unlike drug addiction, however, pornographic images are stored in the brain and can be instantly recalled, making the addiction potentially even more difficult to overcome than drug addiction. (2017), Pornography is Destructive to Individuals and Society. Policy Brief, Family Watch International
Impact on Mental Health. There is a strong link between one being lonely and the urge to watching pornography. Survey data of 1,247 participants seeking help for pornography use, revealed that those who viewed pornography were more likely to experience loneliness, and that those who were experiencing loneliness were more likely to view pornography. There is a strong evidence that users of pornography experience less esteem and depressive symptoms. Alvin Winford (2020), Protecting Africa Against the Public Health Harms of Pornography. ANPPCAN, Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation (CESE) Africa
IMPACTING CHILDREN AND MINORS
Among males, the younger their age of first exposure to pornography, the higher their current consumption of pornography as well as their greater integration of
pornography into sexual activity and less enjoyment of partnered sex. Alvin Winford (2020), Protecting Africa Against the Public Health Harms of Pornography. ANPPCAN, Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation (CESE) Africa
Although proponents of pornography consider its use to be a personal decision, it too often comes at the cost of the exploitation of those who are most vulnerable: children. In 2018, there were 45 million images of child sexual abuse material (i.e., pornography depicting minors) reported; this number increased to 69.1 million images in 2019. Tragically, 67% of child sexual abuse material victims report that their biological parents or guardians were their abusers.
A 2021 report by the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) attempted to promulgate the idea that children have a universal right to access pornography in order to receive “vital sexuality education.” The report goes on to claim that there is “no consensus” about the negativity of the impact of pornography on children. This type of deceptive language demonstrates the willingness of even major advocacy institutions to overlook the sexual exploitation of children at the hands of the pornography industry, as well as the negative psychological implications for children that view pornography.
Research indicates that girls who are exposed to sexualized portrayals of young women show increased rates of anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and low self-esteem. Mary Szoch, M.Ed, & Joy Zavalick (2021), Pornography and Its Consequences. Issue Brief, Family Research Council
Child Harmful Sexual Behavior. Research shows that early exposure to pornography has been linked to increased likelihood of children acting with harmful sexual behavior towards other children including a longitudinal study which found that children are more than five times more likely to exhibit sexually aggressive behavior if they have watched violent pornography. Alvin Winford (2020), Protecting Africa Against the Public Health Harms of Pornography. ANPPCAN, Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation (CESE) Africa
Porn affects memory and work performance. A study of 28 healthy and heterosexual men revealed that viewing pornographic pictures significantly negatively affected working memory (WM) performance. (Work memory is responsible for the short-term holding, processing, and manipulation of information which plays a vital role
In understanding, reasoning, problem solving, learning and development of speech, and decision making) Alvin Winford (2020), Protecting Africa Against the Public Health Harms of Pornography. ANPPCAN, Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation (CESE) Africa
Problematic Sexual Behavior. Pornography is linked to engaging in risky sexual behavior, such as hookups, multiple sex partners, anal sex, group sex, and using substances during sex as young adolescents. A meta-analysis of 31 studies in Ethiopia found that people who reported viewing pornography were more likely to engage in risky sexual practices. Alvin Winford (2020), Protecting Africa Against the Public Health Harms of Pornography. ANPPCAN, Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation (CESE) Africa
TEACHING SEXUAL VIOLENCE
Analysis of the 50 most popular pornographic videos (those bought and rented most often) found that 49% contained verbal aggression against women and 88% of scenes contained physical violence.
Internet pornography is shown to normalize the notion that women are sex objects among both adolescent boys and girls.
Among college aged men, the frequency of exposure to pornography, magazines, and reality TV programs that objectify women there were, the more objectified views of women and stronger attitudes supportive of violence against women.
A 2015 meta-analysis of 22 studies from seven countries found that internationally the consumption of pornography was significantly associated with increases in verbal and physical aggression, among males and females alike. Alvin Winford (2020), Protecting Africa Against the Public Health Harms of Pornography. ANPPCAN, Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation (CESE) Africa
87% of pornography includes aggression against women as a result, pornography users grow desensitized to violence and begin to mimic the actions they consistently view.
Pornography users show increased tendencies towards sexually objectifying others and committing acts of sexual violence. Normalizing aggression towards women and children through pornographic desensitization results in increased abuse, even towards members of one’s own family.
The remaining members of the family unit are collateral damage in the wake of a parent’s pornography habit. Mary Szoch, M.Ed, & Joy Zavalick (2021), Pornography and Its Consequences. Issue Brief, Family Research Council
Prolonged consumption of pornography by men produces stronger notions of women as commodities or as "sex objects." Patrick F. Fagan, PhD (2011), The Effects of Pornography On Individuals, Marriage, Family and Community. Issue Brief, Family Research Council
Rape Myths & Sexual Fantasies. A meta-analysis of 46 studies reported that the effects of exposure to pornographic material are “clear and consistent,” and that pornography use puts people at increased risk for committing sexual offenses and accepting rape myths. (Rape myths are false beliefs about sexual violence, such as the false belief that someone deserves rape based on how they dress, or if they drink alcohol, or if they are in a marriage.) Alvin Winford (2020), Protecting Africa Against the Public Health Harms of Pornography. ANPPCAN, Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation (CESE) Africa
Men who view pornography regularly have a higher tolerance for abnormal sexuality, including rape, sexual aggression, and sexual promiscuity.
Child-sex offenders are more likely to view pornography regularly or to be involved in its distribution. Patrick F. Fagan, PhD (2011), The Effects of Pornography On Individuals, Marriage, Family and Community. Issue Brief, Family Research Council
A 2001 report revealed that over half of all sex offenders in the state of Utah were adolescents, and some felony sexual assaults were being perpetrated by children as young as 8 years-old. Many young sex offenders say they were acting out what they had seen being depicted in pornography.
There is an increasing tendency to act out sexually the behaviors depicted in pornographic images including “promiscuity, exhibitionism, group sex, voyeurism, frequenting massage parlors, having sex with minor children, rape, and inflicting pain on themselves or a partner during sex.” Once an addict has reached the “acting out” stage of pornography addiction, individuals nearly always experience a serious erosion of personal relationships and are devoid of most values which results in devastating emotional pain and sorrow to their loved ones.
There is an undeniable correlation between pornography addiction and the commission of sexual crimes and violence including rape and the sexual molestation of children. According to the United States FBI, the most common interest among serial killers is hardcore pornography. Another study found that 87 percent of child molesters were regularly involved in hardcore pornography. (2017), Pornography is Destructive to Individuals and Society. Policy Brief, Family Watch International
The sexual acts depicted in pornography affect the behavior of men in the way they sexually exploit women in paid sex.
Men who view sexual scenes depicted in pornography are more likely to force women to re-enact those scenes.
Many of these scenes depict violence against women. In an analysis of hundreds of pornographic sex scenes, it was found that 88% of them depicted violence. These violent desires often drive men who watch pornography to turn to more drastic measures such as rape.
Men who watch pornography admit that they have a greater proclivity to commit rape than those who do not watch pornography. A late 2015 study by Wright, Tokunaga, and Kraus found that the likelihood of committing acts of sexual aggression increases with each hour of pornography watched.
One-third of rapists confessed that they watched pornography immediately before committing their crime.
A 2017 report entitled “The Sexualization of Harm in Contemporary Pornography” stated, “Pornography is teaching male children violent and abusive sexual scripts, and teaching them that these are normative ways of being male and of relating sexually to women.” Pornography has inspired many rapes, where the rapist replicated the violent scenes that he viewed in pornography—even to the point of killing the victim and tying her in various positions as depicted in pornography. Arina O. Grossu & Sean Maguire (2017), The Link Between Pornography, Sex Trafficking, and Abortion. Issue Analysis, Family Research Council
DAMAGING RELATIONSHIPS
The The more pornography a man watches, the more likely he is to deliberately think about pornography during sex and to enjoy intimate behaviors with a partner less. Alvin Winford (2020), Protecting Africa Against the Public Health Harms of Pornography. ANPPCAN, Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation (CESE) Africa
Lower Confidence, More Coercion, and Less Satisfaction. Women who watched pornography reported lowered body image, increased criticism from their partners regarding their bodies, increased pressure to perform acts seen in pornographic film and men reported being more critical of their partner’s body
and less interest in actual sex. Alvin Winford (2020), Protecting Africa Against the Public Health Harms of Pornography. ANPPCAN, Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation (CESE) Africa
Many adolescents who view pornography initially feel shame, diminished self-confidence, and sexual uncertainty, but these feelings quickly shift to unadulterated enjoyment with regular viewing. Patrick F. Fagan, PhD (2011), The Effects of Pornography On Individuals, Marriage, Family and Community. Issue Brief, Family Research Council
Sexual Dysfunction. A 2015 study on pornography users found that 20.3% said “one motive for their porn use was to maintain arousal with their partner.” It also found that pornography use was linked to higher sexual desire, but lower overall sexual satisfaction, and lower erectile function. Alvin Winford (2020), Protecting Africa Against the Public Health Harms of Pornography. ANPPCAN, Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation (CESE) Africa
Pornography use is also positively correlated with erectile dysfunction in men. Mary Szoch, M.Ed, & Joy Zavalick (2021), Pornography and Its Consequences. Issue Brief, Family Research Council
Links to Alcohol Use & Promiscuity. Pornography is linked to alcohol use,
more binge drinking, greater acceptance of sex outside of marriage for married
individuals, greater acceptance of sex before
marriage, and less child centeredness during marriage for males. High assumption men who use pornography are more likely to report having sexually harassed a peer or forcing someone to have sex. Alvin Winford (2020), Protecting Africa Against the Public Health Harms of Pornography. ANPPCAN, Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation (CESE) Africa
Pornography engenders greater sexual permissiveness, which in turn leads to a greater risk of out-of-wedlock births and STDs. These, in turn, lead to still more weaknesses and debilities. Patrick F. Fagan, PhD (2011), The Effects of Pornography On Individuals, Marriage, Family and Community. Issue Brief, Family Research Council
Unhealthy Use of Sexual Enhancement Drugs. In Ethiopia, in-depth interviews and focus-group discussions found that young men are turning to Viagra to impress lovers. Young men used Viagra to quell anxieties about what they perceived as women's growing expectations about their sexual performance largely fueled by the emergence of pornography as a new standard for sexual performance. Alvin Winford (2020), Protecting Africa Against the Public Health Harms of Pornography. ANPPCAN, Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation (CESE) Africa.
Impact on Marriage. A study of married couples found that those who used pornography more often reported lower satisfaction with their sex-life and decision-making as a couple. Thus impacting the quality of their marriage. Alvin Winford (2020), Protecting Africa Against the Public Health Harms of Pornography. ANPPCAN, Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation (CESE) Africa.
Married men who are involved in pornography feel less satisfied with their conjugal relations and less emotionally attached to their wives. Wives notice and are upset by the difference.
Among couples affected by one spouse's addiction, two-thirds experience a loss of interest in sexual intercourse.
Both spouses perceive pornography viewing as tantamount to infidelity.
Pornography viewing leads to a loss of interest in good family relations. Patrick F. Fagan, PhD (2011), The Effects of Pornography On Individuals, Marriage, Family and Community. Issue Brief, Family Research Council
Pornography usage is indisputably toxic to the development of a healthy family life, primarily because it affects the balance of trust and intimacy within a marriage. According to a 2020 study, pornography viewing is never positively associated with quality of relationship.
For couples dealing with one partner’s pornography use, 68 percent note that one or both partners have lost interest in sexual activity within their marriage. Pornography’s divisive impact on marriages demonstrates that this type of infidelity must not be taken lightly.
Pornography destroys marriages by weakening the foundations of the union. In marriages where a spouse has not yet discovered the other’s pornography habit, there is nevertheless increased evidence of anxiety, reduced trust, and increased conflict due to the tension of concealment. Even in instances when a discovered pornography habit does not lead to divorce, the impact on the victimized spouse is devastating; 70 percent of wives who discover their husband’s pornography use display signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Mary Szoch, M.Ed, & Joy Zavalick (2021), Pornography and Its Consequences. Issue Brief, Family Research Council
The availability of a spouse or a willing sexual partner does not eliminate the need for exposure to pornographic material. A pornography addict will often prefer to masturbate with pornography rather than have sexual relations with a spouse. (2017), Pornography is Destructive to Individuals and Society. Policy Brief, Family Watch International
Marital Affairs. A study showed those who have had an extramarital affair are more than three times more likely to have used Internet pornography than those who remain faithful to their partners and have not viewed pornography. Alvin Winford (2020), Protecting Africa Against the Public Health Harms of Pornography. ANPPCAN, Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation (CESE) Africa
Impact on Divorce. Researchers found the probability of divorce roughly doubles for men and women who begin viewing pornography. Conversely, women who quit using
pornography were significantly less likely to get divorced. Alvin Winford (2020), Protecting Africa Against the Public Health Harms of Pornography. ANPPCAN, Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation (CESE) Africa
Pornography use is a pathway to infidelity and divorce, and is frequently a major factor in these family disasters. Patrick F. Fagan, PhD (2011), The Effects of Pornography On Individuals, Marriage, Family and Community. Issue Brief, Family Research Council
Married couples who struggle with pornography usage are twice as likely to divorce as couples who do not.
In addition to the potential consequences of divorce, growing up in a home where pornography is used increases the risk of children being exposed to sexually graphic images, which constitutes child sexual abuse. Children enduring trauma resulting from pornographic exposure may experience anxiety, fear, obsession with sexuality, sleep disturbances, and behavioral issues. Mary Szoch, M.Ed, & Joy Zavalick (2021), Pornography and Its Consequences. Issue Brief, Family Research Council
Pornography is a leading cause of marital and family breakdown today and generates serious problems for individuals, families and societies. (2017), Pornography is Destructive to Individuals and Society. Policy Brief, Family Watch International
THE LINK BETWEEN PORN, SEX TRAFICKING AND ABORTION
The presence of sexually oriented businesses significantly harms the surrounding community, leading to increases in crime and decreases in property values. Patrick F. Fagan, PhD (2011), The Effects of Pornography On Individuals, Marriage, Family and Community. Issue Brief, Family Research Council
A disturbingly large percentage of pornography is created through the suffering of sex trafficking and rape victims. According to one study, 49% of sexual exploitation survivors said that they were filmed for pornography. Because of the high demand for nonconsensual and violent pornography, it is often impossible to determine whether a particular video is staged or if it depicts the real-life abuse of a victim which may continue beyond the runtime of the film itself. Even in pornography that does not appear explicitly violent, there is often no way of knowing whether the participants have been threatened or coerced. Mary Szoch, M.Ed, & Joy Zavalick (2021), Pornography and Its Consequences. Issue Brief, Family Research Council
The Link Between Pornography Use and Paid Sex
There is a very strong correlation between the use of pornography and the use of women in
prostitution. A study by Monto and McRee from 2005 found that men who used pornography were far
more likely to solicit women in prostitution than those men who did not use pornography.
Even
among men who use pornography, those who seek women in prostitution, even just once, are also likely
to consume more pornography than those who never solicit female prostitutes. Arina O. Grossu & Sean Maguire (2017), The Link Between Pornography, Sex Trafficking, and Abortion. Issue Analysis, Family Research Council
Pornography: A Public Health Crisis
These and other ill effects of pornography are finally being recognized
In March 2016, the state of Utah
officially declared pornography a “public health crisis,” declaring its negative effects on society and the
need for policy changes that will address it.
In February 2017, the states of South Dakota and Virginia
have subsequently passed similar legislation to Utah’s, declaring pornography to be public health crisis
and naming pornography responsible for “lessening desire of young persons to marry.” The resolution
recognized that pornography contributes to risky sexual behavior among teens, poor body image and
mental disorders, sex addictions, the normalization of violence against women and children, and is a
detriment to the family unit.
Alexander Rhodes, the founder of NoFap, a platform dedicated to helping
those who want to quit using pornography, defended the Utah state resolution (S.C.R. 9), suggesting that
internet pornography addiction is just as concerning as alcoholism or “internet gaming disorder” and
that Utah’s statement is a way to open up the conversation.
In March 2017, the Tennessee Senate unanimously passed a resolution recognizing pornography as a
“public health hazard leading to a broad spectrum of individual and public health impacts and social
harm.”
Similarly, in 2017 the state of Arkansas introduced H.R. 1042 which officially recognizes pornography as
a public health crisis. Supporters of this resolution have cited the impact pornography has as a social
harm and the addictive properties that is has.
Pornography poses a legitimate concern for the health of individuals and the safety of society, and it is
time for those who have felt or witnessed its negative effects to speak. Arina O. Grossu & Sean Maguire (2017), The Link Between Pornography, Sex Trafficking, and Abortion. Issue Analysis, Family Research Council
Money Talks: The pornography
industry generates over $97 billion every year worldwide. The U.S. pornography industry generates
$13 billion each year. Further,
when an individual supports the pornography industry through porn use, this increases the likelihood
that this same individual will seek out the prostitution industry, and vice versa. This creates an increased
demand for both pornographic materials and women in prostitution or sex trafficking. The pornography and prostitution industries continue to exist symbiotically and grow each
other’s revenues.
Those who are actors in pornographic material are often women who have been sex trafficked and sometimes child sex slaves, some of the most vulnerable members of our society. U.S.
citizens account for 83% of all sex trafficking victims who have been found. Victims of sex trafficking are subjected to physical mistreatment, and are often forced to recreate
pornographic scenes. Sex traffickers understand the methods of exploitation, both mentally and economically, to keep
vulnerable individuals in the industry. Arina O. Grossu & Sean Maguire (2017), The Link Between Pornography, Sex Trafficking, and Abortion. Issue Analysis, Family Research Council
Pornography Use in Trafficking Initiation. Sex traffickers often use pornography to “groom” the victims of sex trafficking for the practices in which
they are expected to engage. Women and children are shown pornography by their traffickers to train
before they are sold for sex. Arina O. Grossu & Sean Maguire (2017), The Link Between Pornography, Sex Trafficking, and Abortion. Issue Analysis, Family Research Council
Sexual Exploitation Is Nobody’s Job.
There are many organizations that push for legitimizing sexual exploitation as “sex work.” Sexual
exploitation is nobody’s job. Sexual exploitation is a horrendous violation of people’s physical and
psychological health and safety. The elements of sexual exploitation which is often paraded as “sex
work” include: “routine verbal degradation; threat of physical assault and a wide array of physical
injury; extreme risk of sexual assault and rape; being groped, pinched, licked, bitten and breathed upon
by people who pay to use you; serial utilization of one’s orifices as a receptacle for male genitalia and
other objects; likely acquisition of drug/alcohol addiction; likely acquisition of post-traumatic stress
disorder; likely acquisition of any number of (potentially incurable) STDs; and possible premature death
as the result of homicide.” Sexual exploitation is abuse and should not be raised to the level of “work.” Arina O. Grossu & Sean Maguire (2017), The Link Between Pornography, Sex Trafficking, and Abortion. Issue Analysis, Family Research Council
Violence Against Trafficking Victims. The victims of sex trafficking are violently mistreated, even killed. Even before entering the sex industry,
over 80% of sexually exploited teenage girls were already sexually abused as children. The
average life expectancy of someone in commercial sexual exploitation is seven years; in other words, a
14-year-old would be dead by age 21. The mortality rate is 200 times higher among women being
trafficked for sex than a non-exploited person of the same age. Those who were involved in the sex
trafficking industry reported the severe violence to which they were subjected. In interviews with over
100 survivors of trafficking, 95.1% reported some form of violence or abuse including being forced
to have sex, punched, beaten, kicked, threatened with a weapon, strangled, etc. Many of these acts are
inspired by violent pornography since 88% of scenes in pornographic films contain acts of physical
aggression. There are horrible accounts of violence and abuse in the industry, and the victims have
absolutely no protection. Arina O. Grossu & Sean Maguire (2017), The Link Between Pornography, Sex Trafficking, and Abortion. Issue Analysis, Family Research Council
Sex Trafficking and Abortion: The Numbers
It is nearly impossible to know the total number of abortions committed on sex-trafficked women. In a
survey of 66 women who survived sex trafficking, about 71 % reported that they became pregnant
at least once while being trafficked, and about 21% said they had 5 or more pregnancies while
being trafficked. Due to the violence trafficking victims undergo and the lack of proper care they
receive, many of those pregnancies ended in miscarriage. Over half of the women suffered a miscarriage,
and nearly 30% of them suffered from multiple miscarriages. Over half of the women in the
survey reported at least one abortion, and nearly 30% reported that they had multiple abortions. The survey found that these 66 women had a total of 114 abortions among them while being trafficked. Arina O. Grossu & Sean Maguire (2017), The Link Between Pornography, Sex Trafficking, and Abortion. Issue Analysis, Family Research Council
Forced and Coerced Abortions
In general, women who endure abortions are very often coerced into them. In a national study of
women, 64% of those who have had abortions indicated they felt pressured by others to do so. Women compelled to abort are often subjected to violence in order to coerce them into the abortion. Many women have been killed by their partners who are trying to prevent the birth of their unborn
child.
According to a 2002 study, being pregnant increases a woman’s risk of being physically
attacked. If women who have not been trafficked suffer this kind of coercion to abort, how much more likely is it
for women who have been trafficked? Steven Wagner, former director of the Human Trafficking
Program at the U.S. Department for Health and Human Services, argued that coercion to abort among
pregnant women who are being sex trafficked is universal. Arina O. Grossu & Sean Maguire (2017), The Link Between Pornography, Sex Trafficking, and Abortion. Issue Analysis, Family Research Council
WHAT TO DO NOW
Given the massive, deleterious individual, marital, familial, and social effects of pornography, we cannot afford to let the government abdicate its duty to appeal so as to re-instate the Ant-Porn Act. Laws that criminalize the production, marketing and possession of pornography should be established and strictly enforced.
It is time for citizens and government to reconsider their laissez-faire approach. Ugandans Lets rise up to resist and defeat this Evil agenda.
