The GOP won a victory in the battle to protect children from pornography in Louisiana after a bill passed requiring porn sites to verify the age of their users, or risk the consequences.
The new law — regulating websites that contain 33.3 percent or more of pornographic material, according to the legislation, went into effect this past Sunday on New Year's Day.
The law makes pornographic sites and companies liable for verifying that their users are 18 or older, or otherwise risk being sued by parents and families.
Detail of someone typing on the keyboard of an Apple MacBook Pro laptop computer in a cafe, taken on November 18, 2016. (James Sheppard/Future via Getty Images)
"Online pornography is extreme and graphic and only one click away from our children. This is not your daddy’s Playboy. And if pornography companies refuse to be responsible, then we must hold them accountable. This law is a first step," Louisiana State Rep. Laurie Schlegel tweeted on Dec. 29.
Schlegel led the effort to pass the anti-porn bill and is a licensed counselor and certified sex addiction therapist, according to her official Twitter profile.
The Louisiana state representative also called on Congress to "protect children from the dangers of online pornography" on a national level. "Hopefully, Congress will be looking at this issue soon. @SenMikeLee recently filed legislation; the SCREEN Act."
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The Shielding Children’s Retinas from Egregious Exposure on the Net Act, or SHIELD Act, would "direct" the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to require "all commercial pornographic websites to adopt age verification technology."
The restriction on pornography in Louisiana is one of the latest political salvos against the so-called "adult industry," with some conservatives criticizing the multibillion dollar porn business on a more fundamental, moral level.
Sen. Josh Hawley R-Mo., argued that the porn industry was built on a lie and was hurting men during a Dec. 2022 interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
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Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) (AP Photo/John Raoux)
"The truth is that what the porn industry is selling [young men] is a total lie," Hawley said.
Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk said that pornography is "predatory" in Sept. 2022.
"It's not good for you. There's no redemptive quality. It's a serious issue. It affects the brain harsher than heroin, than cocaine. A lot of people struggle with it," Kirk added, responding to a question from the audience at a Turning Point USA event.