The Republican Party has declared pornography a “public health crisis” in its 2016 platform, as an amendment over the issue was approved during deliberations on Monday.
“The internet must not become a safe haven for predators,” the amendment, proposed by North Carolina delegate Mary Frances Forrester, reads. “Pornography, with its harmful effects, especially on children, has become a public health crisis that is destroying the life of millions.”
“We encourage states to continue to fight this public menace and pledge our commitment to children’s safety and well-being,” it continues. “We applaud the social networking sites that bar sex offenders from participation. We urge energetic prosecution of child pornography which closely linked to human trafficking.”
The proposed text passed the platform committee with little debate.
Forrester told Yahoo News that she worked with the group Concerned Women for America to craft the language.
“[Pornography is] such an insidious epidemic and there are no rules for our children,” she said. “It seems to be for young people, they do not have the discernment and so they become addicted before they have the maturity to understand the consequences.”
In addition to approving Forrester’s amendment, the committee also rejected a proposal to remove text from the platform “encouraging state legislators to offer the Bible as a literature curriculum and elective.” It likewise rejected a proposal to soften language on the party’s stance on marriage, including a suggestion by openly homosexual Rachel Hoff, who wanted the platform to acknolwedge “the diversity of opinion within our own party on the issue of marriage.”
Instead, the platform called for the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse its decision on same-sex “marriage” and expressed disapproval over the Obama administration mandate that school districts allow male students who identify as females to use the girls’ restroom and vice versa.
The committee, which is set to vote on other platforms on Tuesday, rejected a proposal expressing opposition to no-fault divorce.
As previously reported, the Democratic Party has included unprecedented language in its platform this year regarding its support for abortion.
“The platform goes further than previous Democratic platforms on women’s reproductive rights. It champions Planned Parenthood health centers and commits to push back on all Republican efforts to defund it,” party representatives wrote in a press release on Tuesday.
“The platform also vows to oppose, and seek to overturn, all federal and state laws that impede a woman’s access to abortion, including by repealing the Hyde Amendment,” which prevents taxpayer funding from being used for abortion.
The party also approved language vowing to fight state laws that they deem discriminatory against homosexuals.
“Democrats applaud last year’s decision by the Supreme Court that recognized LGBT people—like every other American—have the right to marry the person they love. But there is still much work to be done,” the platform reads.
“Democrats will fight for comprehensive federal nondiscrimination protections for all LGBT Americans and push back against state efforts to discriminate against LGBT individuals,” it outlines. “We will promote LGBT human rights and ensure America’s foreign policy is inclusive of LGBT people around the world.”
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