Is Pornography Good For You?

On Tuesday 23rd April 2013 Anna Arrowsmith and Germaine Greer had a debate on the BBC Radio 4 Today program about whether pornography is good for society.  You can listen to the debate by transferring to the Today website HERE.

The arguments put forward by Anna Arrowsmith (a pornographic film director) for pornography being good for people are:

• Porn keeps couples together, especially if one of the couple have a higher sex drive than the other - by watching porn they are less likely to have an affair
• Porn has made sexual acts less shameful
• Porn has democratised the body

As I listened to this debate, I was disappointed that more time wasn't given to the harmful affects of pornography.  

In the past it used to be that if you wanted to view pornography you would have to buy an adult magazine from the top shelf of a newsagents, or visit an adult store.  Now with modern technology, anyone can access pornography on their computers, tablets or smart phones. Here are some reasons why pornography is bad for individuals and society as a whole:

• It sexualises men and (especially) women, viewing them as sex objects or commodities
• It is sex without love, faithfulness or commitment
• Contrary to what Anna Arrowsmith argued, people who view pornography feel less satisfied with their conjugal relations and less emotionally attached to their husband/wives
• It focuses attention on a fantasy figure, rather than on your husband/wife
• It distorts what a healthy, wholesome sexual relationship should be like - which the Bible teaches is between a husband and wife in a faithful, life long union
• Pornography is addictive 
• It encourages unsafe sex - again despite what Anna Arrowsmith stated in her interview, sexually transmitted infection rates amongst the young have soared in the UK, as reported by the Health Protection Agency
• Pornography desensitises the viewer to what is normal and healthy 
• Despite what Anna Arrowsmith argued, pornography gives a false image of what a normal human body is like, and can have a negative affect on how people view their own bodies.  In April 2013 teachers unions in the UK expressed concern about pupils growing up in a culture where pornographic images were widely available and teenagers felt pressured to have a "perfect" body click HERE for more information
• There is a link between pornography and human trafficking, click HERE for more information
• Children and teenagers are being exposed to sexually graphic content at a young age (through access to porn via the internet), and this is shaping and informing their ideas about what is normal and healthy - one article I read said the average age of first viewing pornography is now 11

The reality is that pornography rather than being good for society is having a harmful affect on our society, and our society's attitude towards sex.