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Minnesota Passes a Bill Linking Pornography to Human Trafficking

Minnesota has passed Bill SF 2554 (Benson)/ HF 2967 (Lohmer), a groundbreaking bill recognizing pornography as a contributing factor in human trafficking. According to an article by author Amanda Zurface, "State legislators have affirmed that pornography, like sex trafficking, is a commodification of the human person and should be studied as a cause on both the supply and demand side of the problem."

According to Zurface's article, Bill SF 2554 (Benson)/ HF 2967 (Lohmer) does the following in the state of Minnesota:

  • Publicly recognizes the link between pornography and human trafficking
  • Adds language to include the use, prevalence and involvement of pornography in the crime of human trafficking to the list of data that may be collected, thereby providing law enforcement better information to fight the commodification of human persons
  • Directs fines collected for the offenses of child pornography and the dissemination and display of harmful materials to minors to the Safe Harbor Program
The effort to educate Minnesotans on the connection between pornography and human sex trafficking and help those who are commodified by these industries was led by the Minnesota Catholic Conference under Jason Adkins, Executive Director.

Adkins believes "The first legislative resolution from Utah, declaring pornography a public health crisis, helped break the conceptual Gordian knot that has stalled legislative efforts related to pornography, due to the fear that they would be struck down in court."

With such a great success across numerous states in the United States and Canada, North America is becoming more educated on how pornography negatively impacts society and is raising the bar. Society as a whole is beginning to realize that pornography impacts real people and is a driving force behind human trafficking.

According to Adkins, "What was once a whisper is now a part of the public conversation. The public is discovering that pornography is not just a harmless pastime but instead a multi-billion dollar industry that perpetrates violence against persons. It was amazing to hear witnesses come forward at our State Capitol talking about its harmful effects. The public will now have a greater understanding of pornography's contribution to sex trafficking and that there are consequences that flow from our consumer choices."