Rick Santorum Promises War on Pornography

On Rick Santorum's web site, he promises a vigorous war on pornography if he is elected president. He says pornography causes profound brain changes. See here.

But Steve Chapman in the Chicago Tribune points out that with the rise of Internet porn, the incidence of rape has declined:

A state-by-state study by economist Todd Kendall of Clemson University found that "the arrival of the Internet was associated with a reduction in rape incidence. However, growth in Internet usage had no apparent effect on other crimes." He concluded, that "in contrast to previous theories to the contrary, liberalization of pornography access may lead to declines in sexual victimization of women."

So it looks like profound changes in the brain are not the only thing resulting from porn exposure. Another effect is less sexual violence against women. If Santorum has his way, this will change.