One of the best articles on this topic I've ever read is from original Pirate Party founder and leader Rick Falkvinge:
"Three Reasons Possession Of Child Porn Must Be Re-Legalized In The Coming Decade"
Fragment wrote: Sat Mar 22, 2025 1:26 pm
I don't believe in a slippery slope. But I'm not sure I believe it's "preventative", either. I think CP is neutral, it won't increase or decrease the desire for real life sexual contact.
The evidence in that respect is surprising. Pornography in general does seem to decrease the prevalence of contact sex crimes.
One can look at the Czech Republic, Denmark, and Japan, three countries where CP was actually
legal during a certain period, and where it's possible to compare the "before" and "during" statistics:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2 ... 111326.htm
In Denmark, where between 1969 and 1980, the
Color Climax Corporation produced professional for-profit CP involving girls aged 7-11,
Berl Kutchinsky actually found that the rates of most contact sex crimes had fallen, including that of child sexual abuse. (Paradoxically, he went on to contribute to the implementation of prohibitionist laws.)
Czech Republic study by Diamond et al.:
https://sci-hub.se/10.1007/s10508-010-9696-y
Diamond & Uchiyama's detailed study of Japan's case:
https://sci-hub.se/10.1016/s0160-2527(98)00035-1
And here's Milton Diamond's general review of the topic:
https://sci-hub.se/10.1016/j.ijlp.2009.06.004
Fragment wrote: Sat Mar 22, 2025 1:26 pm
Morally, I think that a lot of CP is actually less consensual than AMSC. From what I know a lot of CP online is the result of webcams being screengrabbed so the minor thinks they're only performing for one person, but instead have their image shared with thousands. That's not something I like.
Agreed. More generally, the current social and legal context makes it considerably more likely that sexual interactions between adults and minors, of all types, will be non-consensual and unhealthy. It's really a vicious circle in so many ways...
I do also think that,
in an ideal world, we shouldn't be freaking out about children's nudity, and the world should view the sexuality of children (and adults, for that matter!) as something beautiful and wonderful rather than disgusting and pathological. Someone else being turned on by pictures or videos of you, at any age, should be taken as a compliment and celebrated, not considered creepy and off-putting (yes, even nepios looking at little babies, why not?). Erotic appreciation is an inherent and important part of aesthetic appreciation. Talk about an unpopular opinion!
Fragment wrote: Sat Mar 22, 2025 1:26 pm
However, the penalties? Possession should be decriminalized. Criminalizing it doesn't help anyone, victims of exploitation included.
Especially considering, as you say, addiction is a problem. Criminalization wasn't the answer for drugs. It's not the answer for any kind of porn, including CP.
I certainly think that possession should be fully legal, for all the reasons mentioned by Rick Falkvinge and more.
And yes, drug prohibition doesn't work either; current drug laws are insane and completely detached from scientific evidence of harm/risk. (I was a polydrug addict for over a decade of my life.)