‘Freedoms Require Moral Boundaries’: ERLC President Urges Pornography Ban
Brent Leatherwood, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), has issued a clarion call for the complete abolition of the pornography industry. In a statement titled “Outlaw pornography now,” Leatherwood underscores the moral and societal degradation wrought by the unchecked proliferation of explicit content.
Citing a recent New York Times report revealing internal documents from Pornhub that allegedly show the platform knowingly hosted and profited from videos depicting nonconsensual acts involving minors, Leatherwood asserts that the commercial pornography industry is “predatory, lawless, and deeply dependent on abuse.”
“Pornography isn’t merely immoral,” Leatherwood writes. “It’s exploitative. It’s violent. It’s corrosive to relationships, harmful to children, and toxic to a culture that claims to value consent, freedom, and human dignity.”
The ERLC president emphasizes that true freedom necessitates moral boundaries, arguing that the unbridled consumption and distribution of pornography erode the very fabric of a civilized society. He advocates for robust age-verification laws, criminalization of hosting or monetizing nonconsensual or abusive material, and classifying commercial pornography as a public health threat.
Leatherwood acknowledges the current political climate may lack the will to abolish pornography outright. However, he highlights legislative efforts such as the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act (IODA), introduced by Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah), which seeks to update the definition of obscenity under the Communications Act of 1934 for the internet age.
The IODA aims to criminalize content lacking serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value that depicts or describes actual or simulated sexual acts intended to arouse, titillate, or gratify sexual desires. This legislative push reflects a growing concern among conservative and Christian communities about the societal impacts of pornography, particularly on children and cultural norms.
The call for action is not isolated. Laila Mickelwait, founder of the Traffickinghub movement, has been instrumental in exposing Pornhub’s alleged complicity in distributing nonconsensual and abusive content. Her activism led to major financial institutions severing ties with the platform and the removal of millions of videos lacking proper verification.
Furthermore, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) has long campaigned against the pornography industry, highlighting its links to sex trafficking and exploitation. The organization argues that pornography is not a victimless crime but one that perpetuates harm against individuals and society at large.
Religious institutions across denominations have consistently condemned pornography. The Catholic Church, for instance, considers it a grave offense against chastity, emphasizing its detrimental effects on human dignity and relationships. Similarly, Protestant denominations like the United Methodist Church and various Calvinist traditions decry pornography’s addictive nature and its distortion of human sexuality.
Leatherwood’s stance resonates with a broader conservative perspective that views the proliferation of pornography as a moral crisis. The unchecked availability of explicit content is seen as undermining family values, exploiting vulnerable populations, and contributing to a culture of permissiveness that erodes societal standards.
While critics may argue that such measures infringe upon First Amendment rights, proponents contend that the protection of public morality and the safeguarding of individuals, especially minors, necessitate decisive action. They argue that freedom of expression should not extend to content that is inherently exploitative and harmful.
As the debate intensifies, Leatherwood’s call to “ban pornography” serves as a rallying cry for those advocating for a return to moral clarity and the reinforcement of societal boundaries that uphold human dignity and protect the vulnerable.
The path forward may be fraught with legal and cultural challenges, but for many within the conservative community, the imperative is clear: to confront and dismantle an industry that, in their view, stands in stark opposition to the values that underpin a just and virtuous society.