Utah has declared that pornography is a "public health crisis."

 

Last month, the state Senate passed a resolution promising to crack down on pornography and the "sexually toxic environment" that it perpetuates. This week, the state's House of Representatives followed suit and approved the Senate's resolution. In both cases, the decree was passed with unanimous support.

 

According to the resolution, porn consumption leads "to a broad spectrum of individual and public health impacts and societal harms," and "recognizes the need for education, prevention, research, and policy change at the community and societal level in order to address the pornography epidemic that is harming the citizens of Utah and the nation." It also causes hairy palms!

 

The result of the resolution? Well, nothing actually.

 

"It's symbolic," State Senator Todd Weiler, who sponsored the legislation, explained. "Pornography is addictive and harmful, especially for adolescents. Like illegal drugs, pornography will affect the brain chemistry of an adolescent."

 

He fears that porn will mean fewer men will want to marry, and those who do are more likely to cheat.

 

In 2013, he passed another anti-porn resolution against "gateway pornography," citing Sports Illustrated's swimsuit edition as an example. (And don't forget women's ankles!)

 

At this point, porn will not be banned in the state.

 

"I'm not trying to ban it," he said. He just wants to make it harder to get. "When I was a kid, you could put a couple quarters in the vending machine and you could walk out with cigarettes. Today in Utah, you have to be 19 to buy cigarettes. We didn't ban tobacco; we just made it less accessible to children."

 

He plans to talk to Internet Service Providers to get them to create an "opt in" option for adults who want access to porn. And he's spoken with fast food restaurants to see if they can create stricter firewalls for their Wi-Fi connections. 

 

"I'm in touch with McDonalds of Utah," Weiler said. "I feel confident that McDonald's will come on board. It's the right thing to do. We know that kids are using the free, unfiltered Wi-Fi to access porn."

 

Of course, you can cross the road to Burger King to have your burger any way you want it ... including with a side of porn.

 

Utah's Legislature Has Declared Porn a 'Public Health Crisis' [VICE]