This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Pornography isn't wrong because of such consequences as marital breakdown and addiction, said the opening keynote speaker of the Utah Coalition Against Pornography Conference, where experts and activists gathered Saturday for a nonreligious discussion of porn and sex addiction.

Author Matt Fradd, who opened the annual conference, contended that porn is wrong because "it treats people as two-dimensional objects to be consumed without recognizing those persons to be cherished."

"For all of its exposure, pornography obfuscates and suppresses person-hood of the performer," said Fradd.

In addition to writing books, Fradd is the founder and executive director of The Porn Effect and is the director of content development for Integrity Restored.

It's important to educate people that pornography is wrong separate from consequences, he said. Even if external concerns ­— such as misogyny, addiction and exploitation — are addressed, Fradd argues porn is still "intrinsically disordered and wrong."

"If you hang your hat on the fact that porn is wrong because it's addictive or causes sexual dysfunction or leads to marital breakdown, then maybe [how much porn is too much] is a legitimate question to ask," said Fradd, because it can be regulated.

Any porn is too much, he said.

Jill Manning, a licensed marriage and family therapist, counsels women whose husbands are addicted to pornography and sex. She encouraged women who have experienced what she called "betrayal trauma" to consider medical care and therapy ­to help themselves heal.

"There is great reason to hope," she told conference attendees. "Even if the addict in your life may make choices that are not in line with your recovery path, you can get well. There are ways to do that."

Twitter: @tiffany_mf