IF PROSTITUTION is the world's oldest profession, peddling pornography cannot be far behind. The word "pornography" is even derived from the ancient Greek word for prostitute, pornē.
Societies have wrestled for millennia with how to regulate prostitution. Attempts to legislate it away have often only driven it underground.
Similar dilemmas now apply to pornography. The ease of access to it online has led to inevitable calls for controls or bans, especially to protect young people (see "What should we do about pornography?"). These are surely doomed to fail.
Pornography may be morally distasteful, but as long as there is demand somebody will meet it. The best we can do is to gather evidence on what strategies cause the least harm and regulate accordingly. Moralising may score political points but it is rarely the best route to policy.
This article appeared in print under the headline "Can we be adult about this?"
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