Some Ethical Considerations about Pornography Regulations

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to propose four ethical conditions so as to regulate pornography in a liberal democratic state: the first two are related with the production of the pornographic material ; the third with the content of the material; and the fourth with its social repercussions. In order to do so, a definition of pornography is firstly presented, under the scopes of the radical and liberal feminists. Secondly, a normative framework is developed to determine when the pornographic material is ethically permissible, and when it is not. Finally, a recommendation is provided in relation to what the state should do in each case, and a distinction is made between three fields: (i) the conditions in which pornography is produced, (ii) the content it represents or depicts, and (iii) its social consequences. The conclusion to this paper is that the state should not censure all pornographic materials, as radical feminists insist upon, but only ban and punish those which do not meet the ethical conditions advised.