PRIOR PRINTER'S NOS. 2475, 2723
PRINTER'S NO. 2923
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
519
Session of
2017
INTRODUCED BY BAKER, QUIGLEY, MURT, RYAN, JAMES, FEE, CUTLER,
RAPP, DUSH, SONNEY, DiGIROLAMO, MILLARD, SAYLOR, KAUFFMAN,
WARD, PICKETT, MARSICO, MENTZER, STAATS, B. MILLER, PHILLIPS-
HILL, GILLEN, WHEELAND, WATSON, NELSON, C. QUINN AND BARBIN,
SEPTEMBER 26, 2017
AS AMENDED ON SECOND CONSIDERATION, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
JANUARY 23, 2018
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing pornography as a public health hazard leading to a
broad spectrum of individual and public health impacts and
societal harms.
WHEREAS, Pornography is creating a public health crisis FOR
YOUNG PENNSYLVANIANS and its harms are beyond the capability of
the individual to address alone; and
WHEREAS, Efforts to prevent pornography exposure and
addiction IN PENNSYLVANIA'S YOUTHS, educate individuals and
families concerning its harms and develop recovery programs must
be addressed systemically in ways that hold broader influences
accountable in order to counter the sexually toxic environment
it perpetuates; and
WHEREAS, Pornography is contributing to the
hypersexualization of teenagers and prepubescent children in our
society; and
WHEREAS, Due to the advances in technology and the universal
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availability of the Internet, young children are exposed to what
used to be referred to as hardcore pornography at an alarming
rate, with 27% of older millennials reporting that they first
viewed pornography before puberty; and
WHEREAS, Viewing pornography at a young age leads to low
self-esteem, eating disorders, an increase in problematic sexual
activity at younger ages and an increased desire to engage in
risky sexual behavior as young adolescents; and
WHEREAS, Children and youths are exposed to pornography that
often serves as sex education and shapes sexual templates; and
WHEREAS, Pornography treats women as objects and commodities
for the viewer's use, teaching girls that they are objects to be
used and teaching boys that this is acceptable behavior; and
WHEREAS, Pornography normalizes violence and abuse of women
and children, treats women and children as objects and often
depicts rape and abuse as harmless; and
WHEREAS, Pornography equates torment and violence against
women and children with pleasure, increasing the demand for sex
trafficking, prostitution, child sexual abuse images and child
pornography; and
WHEREAS, Pornography has potential DEMONSTRATED detrimental
effects on the user THOSE WHO ARE EXPOSED AT A YOUNG AGE,
including emotional, mental and medical illnesses, shaping
deviant sexual arousal, difficulty forming or maintaining
intimate relationships, brain development and functioning,
problematic or harmful sexual behaviors and addiction; and
WHEREAS, Recent research indicates that pornography is
potentially biologically addictive, meaning the user requires
more novelty, which is often more shocking material, in order to
be satisfied, leading to increasing themes of risky sexual
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behaviors, extreme degradation, violence, child sexual abuse
images and child pornography; and
WHEREAS, Pornography use has a detrimental effect on the
family as it is linked to lessening desire in young men to
marry, dissatisfaction in marriage and infidelity; therefore be
it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize that
EXPOSURE TO pornography IN THE TEENAGE AND PREPUBESCENT YEARS is
a public health hazard leading to a broad spectrum of individual
and public health impacts and societal harms; and be it further
RESOLVED, That, in recognizing the public health crisis
created by YOUTH EXPOSURE TO pornography, the House of
Representatives acknowledge the need for education, prevention,
research and policy change at the community and societal level
in order to address the epidemic that is harming the YOUNG
people of our State and our country as a whole.
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