Senator Mike Lee Proposes Bill That Could Ban Access to Internet Porn In The US
Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican, introduced a measure that many in the adult film industry believe could redefine indecency and could turn the Internet porn industry upside down. Lee introduced on December 14 the one-page bill called the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act. The bill would “establish a national definition of obscenity that would apply to obscene content” which is transmitted online.
“Obscenity is not protected speech under the First Amendment and is prohibited from interstate or foreign transmission under U.S. law. But obscenity is difficult to define (let alone prosecute) under the current Supreme Court test for obscenity,” expressed by the proposed act.
Even though it’s currently not illegal to produce porn in the US, the supreme court has a set of standards that can determine if the materials are obscene, and it isn’t legally protected. Materials are considered obscene if they appeal to “prurient interests”, depict “sexual conduct in a patently offensive way,” and lack “serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.”
According to a published post by Business Insider, Lee’s bill would scrap the second prong about depicting sex in a “patently offensive way.” But would take the same test. His bill says the materials would count as obscene if they show “simulated or actual sex acts with the intention to arouse, titillate, or gratify the sexual desires of a person.”
Senator Mike Lee Proposes Bill That Could Ban Access to Internet Porn In The US (Photo: Business Insider)
GOP Sen. Mike Lee Proposes Bill That Could Ban Access To Internet Porn In The US
According to Congressional records, The bill was introduced on the 14th of December to the Senate. Though it has yet to gain any co-sponsors. One of the spokespeople for Lee didn’t respond to the insider’s request immediately for comment on Saturday.
Members of the Free Speech Coalition criticized Lee’s bill in a tweet on Thursday. They said it “would remove porn’s First Amendment protections, and effectively prohibit distribution of adult material in the US.”. The Free Speech Coalition is a trade association that protects the rights of those in the adult film industry.
The director of public affairs, Mike Stabile with the Free Speech Coalition, also told Vice News that the bill “has gotten a huge amount of attention.” “Our members understand this for what it is: It’s a threat to their business, to their livelihood. It’s a threat to their community,” said Stabile.
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