'Penthouse' Strikes Back after Utah Declares Porn Health Crisis

Utah has declared pornography a public health crisis and now porn publications are striking back.

Penthouse Magazine targeted Utah Gov. Gary Herbert on it's latest cover, calling out the governor over a pornography resolution passed earlier in the year.

Copies were sent to Herbert and other leaders who are members of the Utah Mormon church. According to reports, the magazine was not read by Herbert and was thrown away.

"Since the Mormon Church brings its unsolicited moral, religious, and political values to our doorsteps, we decided to return the favor," Penthouse Editor-in-Chief Raphie Aronowitz said in a press release. Aronowitz admits the move was aimed to agitate.

"We wanted to show these guys that them imposing their views on us and bringing their values to our doorstep is just as irritating as us doing the same to them," Aronowitz said.

Larry Flynt, another pornography mogul, also sent a copy of his magazine to Utah legislators.

"If you don't want to pursue pornography, you shouldn't have to," Flynt said. "But you shouldn't be able to dictate adult reading habits for other people."

Utah's governor, however, is taking the blowback from the porn industry as a good sign.

"If a magazine like Penthouseis taking you to task, that's always a good sign that you're on the right side of history," Jon Cox, a spokesman for Hebert, said.

The LDS Church, a faith to which a majority of Utah residents and lawmakers belong, launched a website in 2013 in order to help its members overcome pornography addiction.

Last year, the church made a video giving parents tips on how to address the sensitive topic with their children.