First study in 30 years by Parliament to look at effects and potential health risks of pornography in Canada. Results to be reported by July 2017.
A unanimous vote in the House of Commons on December 21, 2016, points to evidence that pornography is having an impact on the health of Canadians. It seems that the issue is important enough for the Standing Committee on Health to conduct a study on the public health effects of online, violent and degrading pornography on children, women and men.
Motion 47 (M-47) was introduced by Arnold Viersen, MP for Peace River - Westlock. According to Viersen, pornography is a public health concern. "It's not just about individual, private choices. Many studies have already demonstrated that there are serious impacts on the health of those who watch pornography by actually re-wiring their mental pathways...and embedding abusive views of women in their psyche. Adolescents who view pornography are six times more likely to self-report engaging in sexually-aggressive behaviour, and almost 90% of mainstream sexually explicit content features violence against women, including hitting, rape and verbal abuse."
"Worldwide revenue from pornography is $57 billion, which is more than Microsoft, Google, Amazon, eBay, Yahoo or Apple." Conservative MP-Lethbridge, Rachael Harder told the House of Commons..."It is having a significant impact on how boys grow up perceiving women and treat them during adulthood."
So why, are we sharing this two-month old news with you?
Because this year the (VPCC) has committed to increase awareness and education on the issues and impact of sexual violence against women, and we need to pay attention to the results of this study. Also, our very own Colin Carrie, MP for Oshawa, is the Conservative Chair of the Standing Committee on Health. You can email to tell him your thoughts on the study at: colin.carrie@parl.gc.ca
**Thanks to Parents Aware for their blog post. Read more...
So what do you think? Does pornography affect the health of Canadians?