Adult Film Industry Speaks Out Against Santorum’s War On Porn

If Rick Santorum is elected president it could be the end of porn as we know it. The GOP candidate recently declared war on pornography, saying that America is “suffering a pandemic of harm from pornography.”

Santorum said that he would end the distribution of pornography because it is “toxic to marriages… contributes to misogyny and violence against women…. and is a contributing factor to prostitution and sex trafficking.”

Several people from the adult film industry have spoken out against Santorum’s war on porn. Steven Hirsch, founder of the L.A.-based porn industry behemoth Vivid Entertainment, told the New York Daily News:

“It’s ridiculous… I find it ironic that [Republicans] are about less government until it comes to issues like pornography when they want more government. This will never work.”

Joanna Angel, a porn star and owner of adult film production company Burning Angel Entertainment, said that Santorum’s proposal would put thousands of people out of work and for no good reason. Angel said:

“Pornographers aren’t trying to hurt anyone…. At this point- we’re all just trying to keep our jobs. We are already hurt economically by not being allowed to be sold on iTunes, Netflix, or Amazon – do you really need to threaten to take away the few areas of distribution we have left? I wish people would stop seeing us as immoral monsters, and understand that we struggle with the same problems lots of other Americans struggle with right now.”

Many see Santorum’s war on porn as a ploy to attract conservative votes. Ryan Keely, a porn star, says that Santorum is trying to “excite his conservative base” and that there is “no way pornography will be shut down.”

What do you think about Santorum’s war on porn? Is he just trying to excite his conservative base? Do you think pornography damages relationships, creates abuse toward women, and encourages sex trafficking?