Ukraine Churches Oppose Porn Legalization Effort

KYIV—A coalition of churches and religious organizations in Ukraine are opposed to efforts to finally legalize the underground pornography industry that has long operated in a gray area in the war-torn country. The All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations said that they condemn the legalization of producing pornography on the grounds it is morally precarious. The council is an inter-religious coalition featuring adherents of Christianity, Judaism and Islam.  Christian Network Europe reports that religious leaders believe legalization speaks to the “moral depravity” of the bill’s authors, “who are ready to lobby for harmful and immoral initiatives and involve women in the sex industry for the sake of excessive profits from this amoral business.” Efforts to legalize the adult entertainment industry are viewed as immoral, as religious leaders are concerned that politicians are justifying the bill “by claiming it will allow women to legally sell their bodies for volunteer contributions to support the Ukrainian army.” According to the sponsor of the legislation, Yaroslav Zheleznyak MP, the effort is to modernize Ukraine’s laws on pornography and obscenity. There is a collaboration of Ukrainian adult content creators called TerOnlyFans that has reportedly donated well over €800,000 in donations. Euro News reports that TerOnlyFans stands for “Territorial Defence OnlyFans.”  AVN reported that Verkhovna Rada (literally the Supreme Council) is considering repealing the Soviet Union-era pornography prohibitions.  The current law is “nothing short of stupidity,” Zheleznyak told the Kyiv Post in August.