‘Ethical’ Porn?!

by CAPP-USA

What is ‘Ethical’ Porn?

“Ethical porn” refers to pornography produced in a way that prioritizes the well-being, consent, and fair treatment of everyone involved in its creation. It aims to counter traditional pornography for its exploitative practices, lack of transparency, and potential harm to performers.

‘Ethical’ Porn is an Illusion

Labeling pornography “ethical” does not change its moral standing. While ensuring fair treatment and consent for actors is certainly better than exploitation, the core problem lies in the very nature of pornography itself, which is inherently immoral.

The “scourge of pornography…can only be condemned as a continuing attack on the dignity of men and women.” (Pope Francis)

You can’t improve working conditions, sign a contract, and agree that everyone involved wants it, and make it something other than a scourge! This is like saying ‘we must treat our slaves with respect and dignity’.

The Church and Pornography

The Catholic Church fundamentally opposes all forms of pornography, including what might be termed “ethical porn”. According to Catholic teaching, pornography—regardless of how it is produced—objectifies human beings and distorts the purpose of human sexuality.

Pornography Violates Inherent Dignity of the Human Person

Every person is created in the image of God and possesses inherent dignity. Pornography reduces individuals to objects of sexual gratification, which is a violation of that dignity.

“Pornography is immoral and ultimately anti–social precisely because it is opposed to the truth about the human person, made in the image and likeness of God.” (Pope St. John Paul II, 2)

“Pornography…offends against chastity because it perverts the conjugal act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other. It does grave injury to the dignity of its participants (actors, vendors, the public), since each one becomes an object of base pleasure and illicit profit for others. It is a grave offense.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2354)

Whether or not pornography is made “ethically” does not change the fundamental problem that it commodifies human beings. You cannot make ethical what is inherently unethical.

Learn More about Human Dignity

Pornography Distorts the True Meaning of Human Sexuality

Sexual activity has a specific, proper context: marriage between a man and a woman. Pornography separates sexual expression from this love, mutual self-giving, and openness to the creation of life.

Both ‘ethical’ and feminist porn are wildly perverted, since “By its very nature, pornography denies the genuine meaning of human sexuality“. (Pope St. John Paul II, 2)

Pornography Impacts Relationships

The Church points out that pornography, including ethical porn, has negative consequences on society and individual relationships. It can:

• Harm marriages by promoting unrealistic or unhealthy expectations of sex.
• Encourage selfishness and the use of others as means to an end, rather than fostering genuine love and mutual respect.
• Lead to addiction and damage a person’s capacity for authentic intimacy.

“By reducing the body to an instrument for the gratification of the senses, pornography frustrates authentic moral growth and undermines the development of mature and healthy relationships. It leads inexorably to the exploitation of individuals“. (Pope St. John Paul II, 2)

“By its very nature, pornography denies the genuine meaning of human sexuality“. (Pope St. John Paul II)

Pornography Impacts Society

“We would be seriously deluding ourselves were we to think that a society where an abnormal consumption of internet sex is rampant among adults could be capable of effectively protecting minors”. (Pope Francis)

In addition to widespread addiction, abuse, and violence due to the repeated consumption of pornography, studies have shown how the brain is rewired, leading to failed relationships, further isolation, and depression. (Enough is Enough)

Within the industry itself, drug use, poor mental health, abuse, violence, greed and suicide are rampant. “Female adult film performers have significantly worse mental health and higher rates of depression than other California women of similar ages.” (National Center for Sexual Exploitation) (Causes of Mortality Among Female Sex Workers) (Psychiatry Online)

The industry’s connection to, and even propagation of sex trafficking and the exploitation of minors, is also undeniable. (Intersections between Pornography and Human Trafficking) (Exodus Cry)

Call to Purity and Chastity

The Church calls us to practice chastity, which means expressing sexuality in ways that align with God’s design. This requires rejecting pornography in all its forms and promoting purity of heart.

Armed with Catholic social teaching, we can build a “civilization of love“! (Congregation for Catholic Education, Foot Note, 35)

Call to Public Action

The Church calls us to “increase public concern” and “awareness of the need for decisive intervention by the authorities charged with the promotion of the common good.” (Pope St. John Paul II, 3)

The Church holds not only the creators and consumers of pornography responsible, but authorities as well. “Civil authorities should prevent the production and distribution of pornographic materials.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2354)

“It is a matter not only of protecting children – an urgent task of the authorities and of all of us – but also of declaring pornography as a threat to public health.” (Pope Francis)

“To destroy such structures and replace them with more authentic forms of living in community is a task which demands courage and patience.” (Pope St. John Paul II, 38)

Family Counters a Porn Culture

It all starts with the family! “[A]s the primary cell of society the family must be the first champion of the battle against this evil.”

Learn More about the Importance of FAMILY

The Bottom Line

While “ethical porn” aims to address exploitation within the ‘adult entertainment’ industry, the Catholic Church rejects the concept entirely, as all pornography is harmful, regardless of how it is produced.