Report Ties Violent Sex Crimes to Hardcore Pornography

NEW YORK, March 30, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Evidence of a “causal connection” between pornography and violent sex crimes has been compiled in an article published last week by Morality in Media (MIM).  Robert Peters, president of MIM and author of the article, commented: “At a time when some commentators in the media are saying that pornography is widely accepted and harmless, we need to remind ourselves that common sense, anecdotal evidence and social science research all point in the opposite direction.  In the article, titled “The Link Between Pornography And Violent Sex Crimes,” Mr. Peters says, “Defenders of pornography are misleading the public by saying either that pornography is harmless or by saying that we lack the necessary ‘conclusive scientific data’ that pornography causes sex crimes to justify suppressing pornography.”  Mr. Peters cites numerous articles and studies.  Anecdotal evidence in the article is taken from interviews and testimony given by police officers and prosecutors in several countries, as well as from newspaper accounts of sex crimes and trials in 15 states during the last 20 years.  Peters refutes the most common argument in defense of pornography which claims pornography “provides individuals prone to sexual violence with an outlet for their sexual desires.  In other words, it has a cathartic effect on individuals who would otherwise commit sexual crimes.”  Peters responds, “If the so-called cathartic effect were working, then the incidence of violent sexual crimes committed by children should be decreasing, because never before has hardcore pornography been so readily available to children.”  He cites evidence that the opposite is occurring.  See the full article online:  https://www.obscenitycrimes.org/news/Porn-Crime-Link-RWP.cfm