Sanders, Warren Back Bill That Could Lead To FOSTA/SESTA Repeal

Two weeks ago, AVN.com reported on proposed new legislation by Democratic California House Rep. Ro Khanna that could take a first step toward repealing the FOSTA/SESTA “sex trafficking law" passed last year on overwhelming bipartisan votes in both the House and Senate. On Tuesday, Khanna officially introduced the bill. Called “The SAFE SEX Workers Study Act,” the bill would require a full study of the effects of the law by the National Institutes of Health. Because existing studies and data appear to indicate that the law has actually made sex workers’ lives and jobs more dangerous, and may have even led to an increase in sex trafficking-related crimes, the study is seen as a possible first step toward repealing FOSTA/SESTA—or even decriminalizing sex work altogether. On Tuesday, which is also International Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers, the bill signed up backing from two top-tier Democratic presidential candidates—both of whom voted in favor of FOSTA/SESTA last year. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren both gave their support to Khanna’s bill, according to a report by Vox.com. The bill was also co-sponsored by Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, one of only two senators—and the only Democratic one in the Senate—to vote against FOSTA/SESTA when it came to a vote in April of 2018. For Sanders, lending his name to the bill marks a significant turnaround. The 78-year-old self-described “democratic socialist” has been reluctant to take a stand in favor of sex work decriminalization, saying only that he still feels the need to “discuss” the issue.  Warren in July said that she would be “open to decriminalization,” though she did not say that she actively supported the step. Khanna’s bill, however, is already running into opposition from Republicans, who say that the study required by the legislation would only facilitate “illegal activity,” according to a statement from the office of Ohio Republican Senator Rob Portman, one the original sponsors of SESTA, the Senate half of the FOSTA/SESTA law. The statement went on to say that Portman has “no interest” in a study that would lead to such “illegal activity.” Photos By Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons