Watching pornography harms others

Beyond the legal or moral aspect of pornography and the possible psychological effects it may have on who is creating it and viewing it, there are three other important aspects to keep in mind.

First, nobody would dispute that a difficult to determine, but certainly existing, percentage of this pornography is created using individuals who have been coerced, threatened or forcibly dragged into this huge worldwide business. Secondly, nobody would dispute that when viewing pornography, especially online, one is never in a position to determine with any certainty whether this involves individuals freely exhibiting themselves or coerced or worse still physically and violently threatened to do so, in spite of the 18 years of age disclaimer. Thirdly, and finally, nobody will dispute that coercing or threatening individuals is despicable at best and criminal at worst.

The conclusion to all this is obvious. Viewing, and especially paying to view pornography online can never be a neutral, harmless activity. It contributes to the promotion of this coercion and threatening of some unwilling individuals by making it profitable to do so. This should be resisted at all costs even at the cost of diminishing the perceived freedom of consenting adults to expose themselves and make money out of this activity through distribution and sale of the resulting images. The risk that some individuals will be abused for profit is too great.

Any individual person viewing or promoting pornography should ask him or herself the question: Do I want to be responsible for diminishing or taking away somebody's personal freedom so that somebody else benefits financially from this? Do I want to promote a modern day version of slavery?

The law should certainly and always intervene to protect and free people dragged unwillingly into pornography and diminish, as much as possible, the risks that this will happen by reducing the market for the free distribution of pornography.