Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know what #PornBan is. Although the ban has been partially lifted to block sites with child pornographic content only, it is a poor attempt to cover the main motive of the Modi government.
It is common knowledge that the standard book on human sexual behaviour, the Kama Sutra, came from India, countless sculptures at the Khajuraho temples celebrate sex as a sacred deed, and depict homosexuality. It is then nothing but ironical that the only argument our MPs gave is that “pornography is against the Indian culture.” Should we ban a World Heritage site, ancient scriptures and books, shun our rationale in favour of this baseless argument?
A ban on porn is a direct attempt to control the rights of individuals. The Chief Justice of India has been quoted as saying that it is a direct violation of Article 21 of the Constitution, the Right to Life. Being an adult, one should have the right to his/her body and privacy. In today’s world, concepts such as sexual and gender fluidity are becoming acceptable, but such a stance by the Indian government reflects upon the redundant thinking they wish to impose upon all citizens. In India, where the issues domestic violence, recurrent rapes and sexual abuse still persist, imposing a ban on porn seems satirical and trivial. Instead of promoting consent, equality and unbiased thinking, this is further aggravating the taboo and shame around sex in our society.
Porn is not all good, agreed. It does show violence and child pornography in some cases, not to mention the unrealistic depiction of sexual situations, but as adults can we not differentiate right from wrong? Each individual can decide whether to support or oppose porn, we certainly don’t need our government to police even our personal space now.
Image credits: gizmodo.com
Tarushi Varma
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