As the state’s budget crisis drags on into a second week, a resolution has been introduced in the legislature that declares pornography a public health crisis. One-fifth of representatives in the GOP-dominated House, all conservative Republicans, have signed onto it.
Aaron Baer, president of Citizens for Community Values, says his group is advocating for the resolution. He says while the resolution will not have any effects on state laws, he says it will send a strong message that Ohio does not condone exploitation of women and children.
“The resolution highlights the connection between pornography and human trafficking and pornography and just harmful effects on children," Baer says.
At least 16 other states have passed similar resolutions. Advocates for free speech rights question whether it will create a stigma for marginalized groups and plan to follow the bill as it moves through the legislative process.
