NEWS: Prosecuting Porn By MRI

CULTURE: Prosecuting Porn By MRI

People have been attempting to rid the world of the evils of porn since its inception. Usually, porn has been prosecuting in terms of indecency and public morals, a tactic most often used by the Christian right. Then, Andrea Dworkin and Catherine McKinnon attempted to bring legislation against by stating that it was a civil rights violation against women and that women "harmed by it" could sue producers and distributers. The Supreme Court upheld a lower court's ruling stating that this violated the U.S. Constitution.
Now, a Utah non-profit wants to examine MRI's of people who watch pornography prove that it is addictive. From there, the group can prosecute producers a distributer in much the same way as tobacco companies.

Keep in mind, the actual article cited comes from Brigham Young University, which some consider a bias source and other consider an extremely valid source. In addition, the study aims to link pornography to violence and also prosecute the industry with the aim of "crippling it".

I'm addicted to a lot of things. I should go get some MRIs done, you know, have evidence for a lawsuit and make some money.

Food is addictive. Let's ban it.

Come to think of it, religion is extremely addictive... if we can prove that...?

"It starts first in fantasy, and then always leads to some kind of reality," said Victor Bailey Cline, a psychotherapist pornography addiction specialist.

nice, so does that mean that I'm gonna get to have sex with girls like this now cuz i look at them naked?

They would have to prove that every person who views porn (1. becomes addicted, and (2. that addiction becomes harmful to themselves or others. I doubt they can prove those things.

No they don't. Not every person that smokes becomes an addict and big tobacco has been successfully sued.

Naw...they didn't ban cigs. we should just enstate a rehabilitation program (at the expense of food companies) that will "detox" people of evil addictive food. i mean...did you know even children can get food these days? what has the world come to when a child can be exposed to the horror of food, or any other addictive substance? THINK OF THE CHILDREN!

[Edited on May 13, 2004 9:08PM]

"'We need to know what happens to the brain, and what this addiction process does,' Cline said. 'When you are aroused, the CT [computerized tomography] scan lights up like a Christmas tree.'"

Hmm, could we get one of these these things hooked up to a disco ball and hang it above a bed?

With silk sheets?

In Salt Lake City?

once you pop, you just can't stop.

Ohhhhhh....you're on, let's do it!

The story cites Ted Bundy's famous admission that he went from regular pornography to harder stuff, then straight to serial murder. This sort of slippery slope thinking has been widely discredited, despite what Psych 101 classes learn. Further, considering that most researchers can't agree on the physiological phenomenon of addiction, I don't think that MRI studies are going to both demonstrate a convincing etiology of addiction and show that pr0n viewing folows that pattern. At best, it will show some fascinating brain patterns, but the same can be said for many things- even MRIs of people listening to music show completely unique patterns.