Posted on 11/19/2004 3:07:51 PM PST by Lindykim
Porn Like Heroin in the Brain by Stuart Shepard, correspondent
Senate committee discusses pornography and the First Amendment.
Experts on pornography's effects on brain chemistry testified at a Senate hearing this week where a key point of discussion was whether porn is a form of speech protected by the First Amendment or addictive material that should be unlawful.
Psychiatrist Jeffrey Satinover described how pornography is analogous to cigarettes, noting that "it is a very carefully designed delivery system for evoking a tremendous flood within the brain of endogenous opioids." It's time, he added, to stop regarding it as simply a form of expression. "Modern science," Satinover said, "allows us to understand that the underlying nature of an addiction to pornography is chemically nearly identical to a heroin addiction."
Dr. Mary Anne Layden with the Center for Cognitive Therapy at the University of Pennsylvania explained how a pornographic image is burned into the brain's pathways.
"That image is in your brain forever," she explained. "If that was an addictive substance, you, at any point for the rest of your life, could in a nanosecond draw it up."
Dr. Judith Reisman, president of the Institute for Media Education, called on the Senate to take action against pornography, saying it's time to mandate that law enforcement begin to collect all data and pornographic materials found in the possession of anyone involved in criminal activity. Doing so, she added, would yield data showing whether pornography is being used as a how-to manual for sex crimes.
"The evidence the panelists presented showed an overwhelming harm from pornography," said Daniel Weiss, media and sexuality analyst with Focus on the Family. He hopes the Senate will turn the evidence into action.
TAKE ACTION/FOR MORE INFORMATION If you think Congress should be taking serious action against pornography, you can start by thanking Sen. Sam Brownback for calling the hearing, then contact your representatives in Congress and let them know what you think. For help in contacting your elected representatives, please see our CitizenLink Action Center.
Also, to learn more about one person's struggles with pornography, we suggest the resource "An Affair of the Mind: One Woman's Courageous Battle to Salvage Her Family From the Devastation of Pornography." Author Laurie Hall shares her courageous struggle to protect herself and two children from her husband's addiction to pornography.
Not necessarily. It may be perfectly legal for two 16 year-olds to have sex, but it's illegal to film it.
I thought brown was the new black this year? That's what I read in Us magazine...
Hey - no logic allowed here.
;)
I would like to volunteer for this committee.
But only the committee that gets to review the beautiful people crowd. No nudie beach people.
Then I think we have reached common ground!
(-:
I'm all for restricting porn wherever we can so long as the action does not allow a general restriction on free speech.
I would not support banning publication of magazines or even private production of currently legal videos.
I do support the President with his faith-based initiatives that would have an effect on people's hearts. It is far better to reduce the demand for porn than to threaten liberty by restricting speech.
Ridiculous only because you {personally} "want" it to be so.
There are 'substanceless' addictions. Gambling is one, using porn is another. Note the word "using".......people 'use' porn to 'attain" something personal.
When they 'use' porn, the reality is that they are 'using' human beings who've been dehumanized into 'slabs of meat' with genitals.
It's all I can do to convince people they can't use strict constuctionist arguments that say the original intent of the First Amendment was only to protect political speech, and then turn around and argue that since porn isn't protected we can use living document "New Deal" Commerce Clause legislation to regulate it.
snip...
All alcohol users are drunk drivers
If that was true, then police would do away with sobriety tests since even one glass of wine would, according to your logic, define a driver as an 'alcohol user'.
Logic is common sense, and common sense cannot be placed within a formulaic strait-jacket.
Your argument falls apart due to the tiny little fact that you are not required to view pornography.
It's called personal responsibility. If you make stupid decisions, you suffer the consequences.
Or are you in favor of having the government protect people from themselves?
So you're saying you WANT to live in a society where people who practice a religion you don't like can be oppressed and their priests murdered?
Sorry, we overthrew the Taliban or I'd suggest giving Afghanistan a try.
And the solution to this problem is giving the state more power to regulate peoples' lives?
Sorry, we don't have a President Hillary (yet).
The government, like a private corporation, has the right to restrict material conveyed on publicly owned media. Not all of it, but some parts of the internet are government owned.
Yes, actually.
Silly.
I'll go farther than that and say in many cases they have a responsibility to restrict it. When I see crack them down on the Rats using government mail servers and copy machines to send out campaign literature I'll be more inclined to think they might have a clue.
"So w/o pornography & alcohol Mr. Bundy would be a contributing member of society, quite possibly an asset to Free Republic."
I don't know about FR, but I'm sure Mr. Bundy would be welcomed at DU. I have no doubt that the DUmmies opposed his death sentence.
Honestly? No, I wouldn't.
But then, unlike some CINO's on this thread, I don't want to rely on government to solve all my problems for me.
No. Slavery was wrong because it violated inalienable rights.
Nobody's rights are harmed by pornography so a government in a free society does not have the power to ban it.
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