Questions about Harm (Vera Speaking)
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Everyone agrees that rape is a serious harm and no one denies that women have a right not to be raped. There's no debate here. Think of it this way:

• Pornography changes the way men think about women. It inclines men to think about women as sexual objects and prey. It suggests that women want to be raped, beaten, and punished.
  
• This idea of women sexually arouses some men and justifies assaulting women.
  
• The harm done to the victims is serious and beyond debate.
  
• Therefore, either pornography should be restricted or women ought to be able to sue those who produce it for damages.

Sometimes critics respond to this argument by pointing out that only a small portion of the men who use pornography commit rape. I think that misses the point. Suppose there were a drug that caused 1 percent of those who took it to rape a woman. Would we allow such a drug to be sold over the counter? Of course not. It's the same thing with pornography.

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