Kansas Senate votes to condemn porn as public health crisis

The Kansas Senate passed a resolution Tuesday denouncing porn as a public health crisis. (Reuters)

The Kansas Senate voted Tuesday on a resolution that declared pornography a public health crisis, citing issues ranging from erectile dysfunction to a a possible gateway to human trafficking.

Senate Resolution 1762—which has no legal effect—was passed in a 35-4 vote and attempted to show the consequences of pornography both personally and for society as a whole, The Topeka-Capital Journal reported.

The resolution said that exposure to pornography “teaches girls that they are to be used and teaches boys to be users.” It also stated that it increases sexual abuse and violence towards women and children by treating them as “objects.”

Some lawmakers were skeptical of the sudden concern over public health.

"Seriously? We’ll see how excited they are about public health when it comes to guns," Republican Sen. Barbara Bollier told The Witchita Eagle.

Opponents of the resolution voiced concerns regarding freedom of expression under the First Amendment and whether it was accurate to call pornography a public health crisis.

Democratic Sen. David Haley told the Eagle that he holds the First Amendment sacrosanct and fears that if the language is affirmed it could cause “unintended consequences.”

The Kansas House approved a similar resolution in 2017, which cited scientific research showing that pornography contributed to low self-esteem, “problematic sexual activity at younger ages,” and increased sexual abuse and demand for human trafficking.

As simple resolutions, neither have the force of law.