‘That’s how you lose elections!’ Arizona lawmakers mocked for seeing porn as ‘public health crisis’

In their struggle against porn, Arizona lawmakers are going a bit too far, some online users have warned, after officials endorsed fighting pornography as a dire public health crisis which causes mental and physical illnesses.

Republican lawmakers in Arizona are under fire over their –possibly overzealous– attempt to root out pornography in the state. This week the state legislative committee on Health and Human Services passed a measure which seeks to declare pornography a public health crisis. 'Resolution 2009' introduced by state Rep. Michelle Udall (R) argues that watching porn ruins your health and provokes extreme and violent sexual behavior.

“Potential detrimental effects on pornography users include toxic sexual behaviors, emotional, mental and medical illnesses and difficulty forming or maintaining intimate relationships,” the remedial measure states, adding that porn “normalizes” violence and abuse while increasing the demand for sex-trafficking, prostitution and child porn.

While the motion still needs to pass the State Senate, the content of the resolution immediately raised eyebrows in the online community, who criticized the measure as pointless and a distraction from other, more urgent problems. Their concerns were exacerbated by another proposal, sponsored by Rep. Gail Griffin (R), which seeks to collect funds for the proposed US-Mexico wall by taxing individuals a $20 fee to access porn over the Internet. That resolution has not made it to a vote yet, but online critics believe that the GOP’s porn crusade will cost the party their next election.

“This is how you lose elections,” one online user said, reacting to the news, while others stressed banning porn will lead to a national emergency.

Others pointed out that installing the border fence should be considered a possible health crisis. Some of those against the proposal accused Rep. Udall of pursuing her personal agenda instead of focusing on real issues affecting the state.

“She catches her husband surfing for porn and now we all have to pay,” some of the accusations said, while further messages claimed that porn is the “best thing to happen to the world since the Bible.”

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