Bill to make all porn illegal introduced by Republican senator
Mike Lee, of Utah, and Illinois representative Mary Miller say the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act (IODA), will update 'the legal definition of obscenity for the internet age' if passed.
Under current laws, as per the 1934 Communications Act, obscenity is defined as something that 'depicts, describes or represents actual or simulated sexual acts with the objective intent to arouse, titillate, or gratify the sexual desires of a person', appeals to sexual interest and 'lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value'.
The new bill proposes the 'intent' clause of the act be removed, meaning anyone who shares sexual content online could be prosecuted, even if they do not intend to distribute it. It would mean pornography websites would technically become illegal.
'Obscenity isn't protected by the First Amendment, but hazy and unenforceable legal definitions have allowed extreme pornography to saturate American society and reach countless children,' Mr Lee said, according to The Independent.
The new bill will mean pornographic 'content can be taken down and its pedlars prosecuted,' Ms Miller said.
It is her and Mr Lee's mission to 'safeguard American families and ensure this dangerous material is kept out of our homes and off our screens,' she added.
It is Mr Miller's third attempt to push through such legislation.
If passed, the bill will stop people profiting off the 'degradation' of others, the Republican said.
The Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, which some see as a blueprint for Donald Trump's policies, describes those who share and create pornographic content as 'child predators and misogynistic exploiters of women' who sell a product 'as addictive as any illicit drug and as psychologically destructive as any crime'.
Mr Trump has distanced himself from the project, saying he knows nothing about it.
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