A leading adult film star has slammed a Republican duo’s plan to effectively ban pornography across the US.
According to statistics published by FHE Health, one in three Americans often seek out pornography online, while around 11 per cent of citizens watch daily.
In 2023, laws imposing age restrictions on all adult content first came into force, and now more than a third of US states have introduced restrictions on online content.
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However, even if you’re over the age limit, accessing and watching adult content online could potentially become criminalized very soon.
What is the IODA bill proposing?
Republican Senator of Utah, Mike Lee, and Republican Representative of Illinois, Mary Miller, have recently put forward a bill that will essentially outlaw pornography access if its passed.
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This proposed bill, titled the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act (IODA), seeks to redefine ‘obscene’ content, as outlined in the Supreme Court's 'Miller test’.
This act - from the 1973 Supreme Court ruling in Miller v California - famously claims any material can be prohibited if the average person finds it ‘appeals to prurient interests’, depicts or ‘describes sexual conduct in a patently offensive way’ and/or 'lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value’.
In their new IODA bill, Lee and Miller argue the current definition of obscenity is 'difficult to assess and prosecute'.
They argue the 'current legal definition of obscenity was taken from a Supreme Court case argued in 1973,' branding the case's 'standards' as 'subjective and vague' and 'difficult to apply with certainty to any given material'.
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"Using a pre-internet standard for modern times presents serious challenges – particularly when states use differing definitions for 'obscenity' – and allows criminals to evade prosecution," the bill argues.
What impacts could the bill have?
Lee and Miller’s ‘new definition’ of obscenity could lead to anyone sharing pornographic content being prosecuted.
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The pair also argued that the IODA will ‘equip law enforcement' with better 'tools' to 'target and remove obscene material from the internet'.
“Which is alarmingly destructive and far outside the bounds of protected free speech under the Constitution," Miller added.
"I’m proud to lead this effort in the House with Sen. Lee to safeguard American families and ensure this dangerous material is kept out of our homes and off our screens.”
What has Tanya Tate said about the bill?
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With pornography’s criminalization on the horizon, adult film star Tanya Tate has had her say. Tate, 46, originates from Liverpool, England, and has been working in the adult industry since 2009.
The star, who has previously appeared on Babestation and is also a film director, told UNILAD that she doesn’t ‘support’ the proposed IODA bill.
“Adults should have the freedom to choose what they watch, it’s not the government’s job to decide that for us,” Tate told us.
“This bill is just another way to control people under the excuse of ‘protecting’ them. But we don’t need protection from our own choices, we need the freedom to make them.
“Trying to force one definition of ‘obscenity’ across all 50 states is a huge step backward. Different communities have different values, and this bill ignores that.”
The award-winning actress went on to say that if someone ‘doesn’t want’ to watch something online, there’s nothing forcing them to.
“But that decision should be up to each adult, not politicians,” she continued. “And let’s be real, the ones shouting the loudest about ‘morality’ are often the same ones watching behind closed doors."
Topics: Adult Industry, US News, Crime
Ella Scott