Elizabeth Nolan Brown

2 days ago | reason.com | Elizabeth Nolan Brown

Sen. Mike Lee (R–Utah) wants to redefine obscenity in a way that could render all sorts of legal sexual content illegal. His proposal would make the definition of obscenity so broad that it could ban even the most mild pornography, and possibly even more. Lee and Rep. Mary Miller (R–Ill.), who introduced a companion bill in the House, have made no secret of the fact that the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act (IODA) is intended to get porn off the internet.

1 week ago | reason.com | Elizabeth Nolan Brown

It's rare to see politicians of any stripe fight against sex-trafficking overreach—or any tough-on-crime gestures, really. In California, Democrats have been finding out what happens when you do. After pushing back somewhat against an overly carceral bill targeting prostitution customers, they were tarred by Republicans as having voted "to protect predators" and being "a threat to our kids' safety." It's become "the biggest controversy Sacramento has seen in a while," notes The Sacramento Bee.

1 week ago | reason.com | Elizabeth Nolan Brown

The abortion pill mifepristone "is not safe and effective," argue the authors of a new study that uses insurance claim data to examine adverse reactions to the pill. They claim to have found a "serious adverse event" rate of 10.93 percent, and they say this finding justifies renewed restrictions on mifepristone. Sen. Josh Hawley (R–Mo.) seems to agree.

2 weeks ago | reason.com | Elizabeth Nolan Brown

Who could possibly oppose legislation to get tough on AI-generated revenge porn? For one, Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, one of two nays in Monday's House vote on the TAKE IT DOWN Act. For another, a whole bunch of civil liberties advocates, including folks with groups like the American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and The Future of Free Speech.

3 weeks ago | reason.com | Elizabeth Nolan Brown

In an ideal world, teenagers would not be engaging in risky sexual activity and would not be catching sexually transmitted infections (STIs). But we do not live in an ideal world. And young people are often dumb. The best we can hope for is that when some young people make bad decisions, these will not result in dire or lifelong consequences.