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November 18, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) – The online payment system PayPal has cut ties with one of the world’s biggest purveyors of online pornography. 

Every day, millions of internet users watch online pornography for free at Pornhub. However, Pornhub also allows people to upload and sell their pornographic content on the website, which until recently was often done through PayPal. PayPal’s decision to cut off PornHub makes it more difficult for “models” to receive payments for their material.

A PayPal spokesperson told Motherboard, “Following a review, we have discovered that Pornhub has made certain business payments through PayPal without seeking our permission. We have taken action to stop these transactions from occurring.”

In a statement, Pornhub said it’s “devastated.”

“Decisions like that of PayPal and other major companies do nothing but harm efforts to end discrimination and stigma towards sex workers,” the porn company said. 

In October, videos and photographs of a missing 15-year-old girl were found on Pornhub that depicted her in sex acts with her 30-year-old male abductor. He was arrested by police in Broward County, Florida, after authorities tracked down his vehicle. The victim later told police that the abductor raped her and then took her for an abortion.

In past years, pro-family advocates have criticized PayPal for its socially liberal stances. In 2016, for instance, it decided against opening a global operations center in North Carolina because of a state bill that would have prohibited men from accessing women’s restrooms. PayPal’s decision meant that hundreds of potential jobs were lost to the region. 

Nevertheless, PayPal operates in three countries with laws on the books punishing homosexuality with the death penalty: Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, and Yemen. It also operates a global call center in Malaysia, a Muslim-majority country that prescribes 20 years in prison for homosexual activity. 

“Making the business decision to cut ties with the incredibly lucrative pornography industry is no easy thing,” the National Center on Sexual Exploitation responded. “Many corporations balk at the thought of jeopardizing any source of income, yet even so there are still companies out there who are willing to value human dignity above their bottom line. PayPal showed that it is willing to be one of those companies” by cutting ties with Pornhub.

“Commercial sexual exploitation, in any of its forms, ought to be intolerable to our society which is why we are so glad to hear about PayPal’s commitment. This is another important stepping stone for the movement to end sexual exploitation in all its forms.”