Democratic congressman calls for study of effects of sex-trafficking law

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said Monday that he will introduce legislation calling for a study on the effects of a recent sex-trafficking law on free speech and the safety of sex workers.

The Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act and Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Acts, collectively known as FOSTA-SESTA, make it illegal to knowingly assist or facilitate sex trafficking and excludes advertisements for sex work from the Communications Decency Act’s “safe harbor” rule.

The law passed with bipartisan support in 2018, with only Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) voting against it in the Senate, but both free speech organizations and sex workers have criticized the measure.

“The law was supposed to prevent online sex trafficking, but instead criminalized online sex work and suppressed free speech,” Khanna tweeted, saying his proposal would commission a National Institutes of Health study on its effects.

I will be introducing a bill calling on the @NIH to conduct a study assessing the way #SESTA–#FOSTA has impacted the health and safety of sex workers

Why? The law was supposed to prevent online sex trafficking, but instead criminalized online sex work and suppressed free speech.

— Rep. Ro Khanna (@RepRoKhanna) December 2, 2019

The law’s provisions on online speech, he added, also deprived sex workers of a method they could use to screen out potentially dangerous clients.

“Prior to SESTA-FOSTA, sex workers used websites to screen clients. Now those sites are illegal, and sex workers can’t take safety measures like screening a potential client’s social media, prearranging a public meeting spot, or sharing their location with friends,” he tweeted.

“We need a better understanding of how the shutting down of these websites has endangered sex workers,” Khanna added.

We need a better understanding of how the shutting down of these websites has endangered sex workers.https://t.co/Sqrw2lFXfn

— Rep. Ro Khanna (@RepRoKhanna) December 2, 2019