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State of South Dakota
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NINETY-SECOND SESSION LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY, 2017 |
| 763Y0009 | SENATE ENGROSSED NO. SCR 4 - 1/24/2017 |
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Introduced by: Senators Netherton, Bolin, Ewing, Frerichs, Greenfield (Brock), Haverly,
Jensen (Phil), Klumb, Kolbeck, Maher, Monroe, Nelson, Novstrup, Rusch,
Stalzer, and White and Representatives Howard, Beal, Brunner, Campbell,
Chase, Clark, Dennert, DiSanto, Frye-Mueller, Glanzer, Goodwin, Gosch,
Haggar, Haugaard, Hawley, Heinemann, Jensen (Kevin), Johnson, Kaiser,
Kettwig, Latterell, Lesmeister, Livermont, Marty, McPherson, Pischke,
Rasmussen, Rhoden, Rounds, Schaefer, Steinhauer, Tulson, Willadsen, and
York
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A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION, Recognizing and finding that pornography is a public
health crisis leading to a broad spectrum of individual and public health impacts and societal
harms.
WHEREAS, pornography is creating a public health crisis and its harms are beyond the
capability of the individual to address alone; and
WHEREAS, efforts to prevent pornography exposure and addiction, to educate individuals
and families concerning the harms of pornography, and to develop recovery programs must be
addressed systemically in ways that hold broader influences accountable in order to counter the
sexually toxic environment pornography perpetuates; and
WHEREAS, due to the advances in technology and the universal availability of the internet,
young children are exposed to pornography at an alarming rate, with twenty-seven percent of
older millennials, age twenty-five to thirty, reporting that they first viewed pornography before
puberty; and
WHEREAS, pornography leads to low self-esteem and eating disorders, increased
problematic sexual activity at younger ages, and an increased desire to engage in risky sexual
behavior as young adolescents; and
WHEREAS, pornography often serves as children and youths' sex education and shapes
their sexual templates; because pornography generally treats women as objects and commodities
for the viewer's use, that generally teaches girls they are to be used and generally teaches boys
to be users; and
WHEREAS, pornography normalizes violence against and abuse of women and children by
treating women and children as objects and often depicts rape and abuse as if it were harmless.
Moreover, pornography equates violence towards women and children with sex and equates
pain with pleasure which increases the demand for sex trafficking, prostitution, child sexual
abuse, and child pornography; and
WHEREAS, pornography has potential detrimental effects on excessive users such as:
emotional, mental and medical illnesses, shaping deviant sexual arousals, difficulty forming or
maintaining intimate relationships, diminished brain development and functioning, problematic
or harmful sexual behaviors, and addiction; and
WHEREAS, pornography use has a detrimental effect on the family as it is linked to
lessening desire in young persons to marry, dissatisfaction in marriage, and infidelity:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Senate of the Ninety-Second Legislature
of the State of South Dakota, the House of Representatives concurring therein, that the
Legislature recognizes the public health crisis created by pornography in this state and
acknowledges the need for education, prevention, research, and policy change at the community
and societal level in order to address the epidemic that is harming the people of our state and
our country as a whole.
