Banning Porn Alone Will Not Save Women

Banning Porn Alone Will Not Save Women

Porn must be banned, there is no doubt about this. We are heartened to see states and even European countries begin to implement age verification laws to restrict access, and we applaud these efforts. However, there is a fundamental flaw in the thinking of many anti-porn activists: the belief that simply banning porn will suddenly solve the issues between men and women. While banning porn is an essential step, it is not the panacea that many believe it to be.

Porn didn’t just fall out of the sky one day to corrupt men. Porn was created because men were already depraved to begin with. While it’s true that porn can act as a reinforcing cycle, encouraging men to seek out more extreme content, it’s important to recognize that men had to want to create it in the first place. Men have been abusing, raping, and torturing women long before the advent of porn, as historical examples like the major rapes that occurred during World War II show. Porn is horrific, yes, but it is not the origin of male depravity—it’s a symptom of it. There are plenty of nations where porn is banned but where the abuse of women continues to run rampant, like Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia.

Many prominent anti-porn activists are in relationships or married, and while we appreciate their efforts in fighting against the porn industry, we must also acknowledge that being in a relationship with a man can be just as harmful as the damaging effects of porn. It’s a misconception to believe that the absence of porn will automatically lead to better, healthier relationships with men. This thinking is not only naïve but neglects the deeper, inherent issues that arise when women are expected to endure patriarchal structures in their personal lives.

For true freedom to be realized, women must be free from sex with men altogether. It’s important not to delude ourselves into thinking that once porn is banned, we will no longer need the 4B movement. We resonate well with the anti-trafficking and anti-abuse messages of anti-porn activists, but not so much with the belief that males can return to their “true sexuality” without porn, whatever that means. Refusing to accept that males are sexually depraved even without porn, is only going to deceive women on a massive level and put them in further danger.

Remember that many of the largest anti-porn groups are heavily religiously affiliated. While this doesn’t diminish the importance of their work, it does highlight that their long-term goals might not align with those of radical feminists. These groups often seek to return to traditional male-female marriages, which is in direct opposition to the core principles of the 4B movement. While we support the anti-porn stance, we also believe that it should go hand-in-hand with our message of female autonomy. The best way to combat the porn industry is for women to naturally abstain from sex with men and to encourage others women to stop having sex with men. If women stop engaging with men sexually, less women will see “sex work” as empowering, and with this shift in mindset, much of the exploitation that comes with it will end.

Anti-porn discourse is essential, but we must be cautious about the underlying motivations of many of these groups. Although their opposition to porn benefits women, their long-term promotion of “healthy sexual relationships” with men may not align with the goals of radical feminists. Banning porn will help women in many ways, but it will not solve the problems women face in heterosexual relationships. The real solution lies in women’s liberation from men, not just the removal of porn. We must continue to fight against porn and its harms, but always with a recognition that women’s true freedom can only come when we choose to break free from the chains of male dominance, whether in the form of porn, marriage, or any other institution. ♀