Affinity Policy Statement PORNOGRAPHY & THE MEDIA
A. Pornography
We believe that sex is both a precious gift from a generous God as well as being part of God’s original perfect creation. As such the use of this gift should accord with the wishes of the Creator. Pornography clearly violates that.
Pornography is the gratuitously explicit depicting of sexuality (in words, computer images and pictures) which debases sex as well as seeking to exploit sexual desires.
Pornography presents sexual pleasure outside the context of a loving, committed relationship, and advocates sexual fulfilment, both as a right and as merely biological gratification. This is in sharp contrast to the experience of love.
There is increasing evidence to show that pornography is destructive of society because it presents people, primarily women, as sexual objects available to meet the sexual demands of another person. Although there is an increasing trend in such portrayals to include men and children the prime focus of pornography tragically continues to be young women, its effect is to dehumanise those whom it portrays by presenting then as commodities.
B. The media
Pornography is not a new phenomenon. What is new is the mass production of pornography books, newspapers, magazines, radio and TV programmes, films, videos, and, most recently, the internet. Some of the latter is deliberately designed to break taboos and widen what is acceptable in society. A particular source of concern is its ready availability for people, especially the young. Is it right that a 6 year old child should be able to access pornographic images on line? Even Polly Toynbee – hardly a friend of censorship – has stated that, “the law protects us from our own worst instincts”. What used to be consumed by a few is now part of life for many in the population as they buy into this multi-million pound industry. The young and vulnerable are being crassly exploited by those who hide their own greed behind a façade of ‘press freedom’ and ‘human rights’.
We believe that, in a culture where restraint is viewed as restrictive, the current explosion of pornography can never satisfy the sexual passions it promotes. Consequently, increasing abusive and extreme portrayals of sexual conduct are occurring (as for example in paedophile material). Commercial pressures for better viewing figures or increased circulation lie behind this constant downward spiral of extremely offensive and destructive material.
Public policy positions
1. We welcome the Government’s clear commitment to oppose paedophile material because it is degrading and exploitive. We call on the Government to work against the spread of pornography, which is equally degrading and exploitive.
2. In view of the fact that commercial factors are largely responsible for driving the expansion of pornography we urge the Government to open a public debate which brings social policy factors to the fore.
3. We are concerned at the growth of pornography on the internet. The Government has a responsibility to be proactive and protect the young from exploitation and exposure to such material, which cannot be said to display humanity’s best instincts.
4. We urge the members of the Government to uphold by example, as well as by word, the values of chastity and self-control.
5. All societies depend of effective personal relationships for their successful survival. In our society there is alarming evidence of the fracture of personal relationships with attendant negative consequence. We call on the Government to continue its positive role of encouraging schools to promote the confinement of sexual experience to a married relationship rather than its being merely for gratuitous fulfilment.
