GOP lawmakers target online pornography, propose interstate ban on obscene content

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, introduced a bill aimed at criminalizing pornography and defining what is obscene and what is not.

Lee and Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., introduced the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act (IODA) for all states, which, if passed, would make it illegal to transmit obscene content across state lines while also making it easier to prosecute.

"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," Lee said in a news release. "Our bill updates the legal definition of obscenity for the internet age so this content can be taken down and its peddlers prosecuted."

The IODA attempts to clarify the definition of obsc...