For several years now, Ukraine has been fighting for its existence in the international arena, facing numerous challenges: war, economic crisis, infrastructure destruction, social problems, destroyed houses and impoverished entire families. It would seem that at this time, elected officials should focus on laws that will help people recover and strengthen the country. However, once again the parliament surprises society with initiatives that cause a mixture of surprise and indignation. Is this what Ukraine needs now? It seems that Ukrainian elected representatives live in a completely different reality than the Ukrainian people. Instead of passing laws that save lives, rebuild cities, and strengthen the military, officials suddenly turn their attention to decriminalizing pornography. That is, instead of real reforms that can change the fate of the country for the better, the deputies decide to legalize porn. Is this a way to distract society from real problems, or is the country on the verge of a moral crisis?
What is the point of decriminalizing porn
As early as August 2023, the draft law was registered in the Verkhovna Rada №9623 on the decriminalization of pornography. There were no developments in this direction and it seemed as if the interest in this issue should have died down, but the people’s elected representatives decided to show considerable intrusiveness here. And so already on November 11, 2024, 27 deputies submitted to the Verkhovna Rada a new draft law on the decriminalization of pornography under №12191.
Yes, you understood correctly – instead of solving the urgent problems of the military, fighting corruption, reforming the judicial system, solving social protection issues, attracting investments or at least real help to internally displaced persons who remained on the verge of survival, the deputies focused their attention on the legalization of pornography.
Officials provide the following evidence in favor of this draft law:
- the platform OnlyFans, which provides access to products of a pornographic nature, was one of the first foreign companies to pay tax for the provision of electronic services in Ukraine in 2022;
- erotic content is even used to collect donations for the defense purposes of Ukraine (the Teronlifans association earned UAH 31 million for the Armed Forces thanks to nude images).
“This is not “legalization of porn” – it is legalized, and we have been collecting millions of taxes from the same OnlyFans for a couple of years. This is “decriminalization of porn”. So that people are not thrown in jail for storing content or do mass “mystery purchases” in webcams. And at the same time, under Article 301, you can be punished even for storing nude photos on your personal phone”, – explains one of the co-authors of the draft law, People’s Deputy Yaroslav Zhelezniak.
Criminal responsibility will remain exclusively for:
- porn without consent (porn revenge, deep fake);
- extreme porn (rape, zoonecrophilia)
- child pornography and distribution among children;
- pimping, involvement in prostitution and human trafficking.
As if to reassure, but in fact the issue of saving on one’s own devices and displaying nude photos or videos of erotic content for public viewing is no longer a question of legalization, but rather of the adequacy of society.
Meanwhile, Ukraine is among the top 20 countries in terms of traffic consumption on Pornhub and ranks 14th in the world in terms of traffic to this site. Ukrainians spend an average of 9 minutes and 53 seconds on the website.
The most watched videos:
- in first place – people aged 25 to 34;
- in second place – age group 18-24;
- in third place – age group 35-44;
- the 45-54 age group is in fourth place.
The desire for synthetic sex is perhaps the most profitable and consumed of all. And right now, pornography is gaining more and more popularity on the Internet. The modern world mostly protects the porn industry and assures that its products are harmless and completely natural.
However research, published in NCBI, showed that watching porn can negatively affect attitudes towards women, lowering women’s self-esteem. Also, this study confirmed the fact that watching pornography can lead to a decrease in a woman’s satisfaction with a man, as well as an increase in a distorted perception of sexuality.
“Porn scenes, like narcotic substances, are addictive and weaken the prefrontal cortex of the brain. They send a powerful jolt of dopamine and other hormones straight into the limbic system, causing a person to feel pleasure and act impulsively. Under the influence of these chemicals, a person feels better for a short time than before. But then the desire to watch porn returns with redoubled force. Over time, the dopamine reward system is damaged in a person addicted to pornography. She becomes immune to natural sources of pleasure. Therefore, such a person needs increasingly large doses of dopamine to feel pleasure. This leads to the fact that she begins to look for extreme forms of pornography and watches them more often. In addition, a person who is addicted to porn begins to experience difficulties in achieving arousal with a physical partner”, – explains the mechanism of addiction to porn materials, a doctor of medicine in the field of psychiatry and neurology V. Lawrence.
Research scientific journal Science Magazine confirm the fact that watching pornography increases the divorce rate almost twice.
Ukrainian society has always had an ambiguous attitude to pornography. Formally, this is a prohibited and criminalized activity, but at the same time, access to porn has always been, as they say, “at your fingertips.” Some believe that the legalization of porn is a matter of civil rights and freedom of expression, but many citizens maintain conservative views, considering such an initiative unacceptable in a society that is already on the edge of moral and economic survival.
Attitudes towards pornography in foreign countries
The attitude towards pornography and its legalization in foreign countries, of course, depends on cultural, religious and legal traditions. In many Western countries, such as the United States, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, France, and others, pornography is legal, although its production, distribution, and consumption are strictly regulated by law. These countries have strict age restrictions (adults only), protection of actors and actresses, anti-illegal content, and restrictions on certain types of violent or exploitative content.
Most US states allow pornography, and the porn industry is legal and large, especially in California. However, pornography for minors is strictly prohibited and prosecuted by law.
Germany and the Netherlands are known for their liberal approach to sexuality, including pornography. There are clear regulations aimed at protecting the rights of industry participants.
In Sweden and Denmark, pornography is also legal, but there are strong controls, particularly regarding the rights of workers in the porn industry.
Pornography is partially permitted in the UK, but there are strict restrictions on certain types of content, including violent pornography and extreme sexual acts. Pornography is also legalized in Australia, but each state has its own restrictions on distribution and viewing. And in some states significant restrictions remain.
However, there are still countries where pornography is strictly prohibited by law, both at the level of consumption and production. Thus, in Saudi Arabia, Iran, the UAE and China, pornography is absolutely prohibited and its production, distribution or viewing is subject to severe penalties, up to imprisonment. The government of these countries is actively fighting against the spread of such content on the Internet.
But even in countries with strict restrictions, there is a problem with illegal content, especially online. Many countries face difficulties in the fight against child pornography, as well as the distribution of content without the consent of participants (the so-called “revenge porn”). In countries where pornography is legalized, the authorities seek to control its industry, ensuring the protection of the rights of all participants and minimizing the risks of exploitation. However, it is important to remember that each country has its own social norms and priorities, so approaches to regulation of this issue differ significantly. The legalization of pornography may contribute to the creation of a clear legal framework for the industry, but it also raises the question of the moral impact on society, particularly on youth and the psychological health of the population.
When urgent questions lose their meaning
I wonder why our deputies are so interested in this topic right now, when the country is going through such difficult times? Perhaps this is a distraction from more important and painful problems, or just another way to score cheap political points at the expense of a hyped topic. However, the problem is not only in pornography.
Let’s see what else is on the agenda. After discussing the legalization of cannabis and proposals to simplify gun laws, it seems that the country’s legislature has lost its priorities. Initiatives that can really change the lives of citizens – rebuilding destroyed cities, helping the wounded and veterans, developing the economy and strengthening the army, which are really useful for reform education – are constantly pushed to the background. Instead, we see attempts to solve minor or scandalous issues that in no way affect the welfare of the population.
It all looks like an attempt to create the appearance of active work. Deputies probably believe that by discussing such high-profile laws, they demonstrate openness to Western values and “modern trends”. However, they do not see the most important thing – such initiatives only further distance them from the real problems of the people.
The legalization of porn or narcotics are issues that will always cause controversy. But reforms based on such pseudo-changes will not help overcome the crisis, strengthen defense or restore trust in the authorities. But they can provoke additional social conflicts and further divide society, which is already constantly in a state of tension. Instead of moving forward, Ukraine can immerse itself in endless debates around laws that only distract from really important tasks.
Decriminalization of pornography may be just the beginning of further destabilization of the country. If we do not change the course, soon we will witness new “priority” bills that have nothing to do with the real needs of people. Today, more than ever, the authorities must come together and face the real problems that concern society. After all, every day when urgent issues are ignored, the country loses a chance for a better future.
Ukraine is on the verge of survival, and the Verkhovna Rada seems to have lost touch with reality. The legalization of pornography is just one example of how the government is distracted by scandalous initiatives instead of saving the country from the crisis. Legalizing everything for the sake of spectacle while the economy is in decline and the war continues will not produce positive results. If the parliament continues to pass laws that do nothing for the people, Ukraine risks losing not only its future, but also the trust of its citizens. A few more such “priorities” – and Ukraine risks plunging into moral and political chaos. These laws do not heal the wounds of war, do not rebuild destroyed cities and do not return people to a decent life. They only distract society from critically important issues. The authorities should build a clear plan of action aimed at restoring the country, and not at creating another media show. It’s time for parliamentarians to come to their senses and return from the whimsical world of “scandals” to the real needs of the state.
