With each passing day, it seems the Tennessee state legislature is well on its way to replacing the state constitution with the Bible as our supreme governing document, at least the parts our betters in Nashville deem most conveniently align with their right-wing ideology.
Among those parts — seemingly, considering the legislature’s anti-pornography law currently under litigation in the courts — are the many cherry-picked Old Testament divine commandments against sex.
The Tennessee law, which was set to go into effect on Jan. 1 until a judge stalled its enforcement amid a lawsuit, requires pornography sites to verify that its users are younger than 18 years of age.
On the surface, this seems like a reasonable regulation for porn site operators. It makes sense to restrict porn access to minors, especially given the prevalence of children with smartphones.
But upon reading the text of the legislation, it is clear that the absolute intent of this law is not just to restrict children’s access to porn — but everyone’s — under the veneer of protecting minors. The law’s vagueness and penalty for violation, which would discourage porn sites from allowing any access in Tennessee, illustrates just that.