YNOT EUROPE – In recent weeks, the British press has beaten up the government over the use of tax dollars to provide masturbatory fodder for fertility clinics. Now, however, comes news that research has shown “visual aids” may increase the sperm count in male ejaculate.

The furor began with a report called “Who Said Pornography Was Acceptable in the Workplace?” Written by former Conservative parliamentary candidate Julia Manning for rightwing thinktank 2020health, the report accused Britain’s National Health Service of violating its own constitution, encouraging “adultery of the mind,” providing dangerous addictive material to men and stripping women of their humanity by providing pornography to assist men in masturbating in order to provide sperm for in vitro fertilization of their partners. Such manipulation of the government by the sex industry, even in a clinical setting, represents unconscionable taxpayer abuse, according to the report.

NHS accounting places the average cost of adult magazines per region at about £21.32 per year.

Animal research going back as far as 1979 indicates watching other males breed a receptive female significantly increased the sperm count in male boars undergoing semen collection. In 1984, another study determined watching a mating pair of cattle increased the frequency of ejaculation in Hereford bulls. During the same year, a third group of researchers found having a “teaser” female present during semen collection increased sperm production among male dairy goats.

A 1955 study indicated increased conception rates among cows artificially inseminated with the semen collected from sexually aroused bulls.

Research did not stop with animals, however. In 2005, an experiment with human males indicated men who viewed heterosexual porn were more fertile than men who viewed lesbian porn. A previous Japanese study, in 2000, compared the ejaculate of men who masturbated alone in a room to men who masturbated while watching videotaped sexual activity. Sperm volume, total sperm count, sperm motility and percentage of normal sperm all were higher among the men who watched porn.

Considering the average cost of IVF in a private British clinic is about £6,000, is £21.32 per region too much to pay for a little extra insurance an emotionally trying procedure will work?

As for the adult industry, it can take heart in knowing it provides a valuable service that is both scientifically sound and medically beneficial.