What’s wrong with porn?

On 22 January, The House of Lords considered the proposed Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill, part of which seeks to criminalise the possession of what the British government calls ‘extreme pornography.’

Is there a right or wrong type of porn? Is porn just harmless fun or to quote the old feminist adage, ‘porn is the theory, rape the practice.’ It’s a question that divides the left, with libertarians advocating all consensual porn should remain unregularised and anti-porn campaigners believing all porn is damaging, intrinsically degrading to women, and to the men that view it.

Red Pepper website commissioned various opinions: pro and anti-porn, personal and political, addressing the question, what’s wrong with porn? You can read the responses here and add your own views in our forum discussion

Porn can be good for you
Peter Tatchell says pornography doesn’t have to be oppressive. It can be liberating and fulfilling

Quality not quantity
There’s nothing wrong with porn apart from its quality, says Alison Fisher, a former writer of women’s porn

An extreme insult
Penny, from the campaigning group Backlash, argues banning extreme porn is an insult to female sexuality

Living with a porn addict
Newlywed, Asha Anderson describes the problems her partner’s porn habit is having on their marriage

Change society and porn will change too
Tracey Jones says she’s no prude but don’t discount the effect porn has on individuals and society

Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill legislation