Steps are being taken to deal with the ramifications of pornography, and part of the measure has to do with the government and its attitude towards the problem.

Last week the National Center on Sexual Exploitation held a symposium in the U.S. Capitol building titled “Pornography: a Public Health Crisis.” Pat Trueman, who heads the organization, tells OneNewsNow the message was that porn has triggered a health crisis.

“You’re dealing with sexual assault in the military, sexual assault on college campuses, child sex abuse, rape, etcetera,” he says. “So many of these issues that are crimes growing in America are caused by the consumption of pornography. Pornography has now reached every family in America.”

Trueman argues it must be reclassified as a public health crisis and then largely dealt with through education, as with the successful campaign to reduce the use of tobacco. He says existing laws against adult porn are simply not being enforced.

“And that’s one thing Congress will look at,” he continues. “We’re trying to get a congressional hearing in one of the judiciary committees to say we have laws to stop this public health crisis. Let’s use them.”

Additional efforts under way include convincing federal agencies that trafficking of women and children and child abuse are also the result of pornography, and a call for Internet service providers to provide porn-blocking software to every family in America.