The House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday that gives prosecutors, state attorneys general and sex trafficking victims a clearer route to pursue legal action against websites hosting advertisements for prostitutes, which advocates have long argued are a hive for trafficking children.
The bill now goes to the Senate, which already has passed a similar version out of committee. If approved, it would go to the White House, where supporters are hopeful that President Trump will sign it. His daughter, Ivanka Trump, tweeted her approval of the legislation on Tuesday.
The legislation arose as Congress learned that its current anti-trafficking laws could not be applied to websites like Backpage, which host thousands of ads daily for female and male prostitutes, some of which are children being trafficked by adults. Backpage has successfully cited the Communications Decency Act, which protects websites from liability for material posted by third parties, to evade both criminal prosecution and civil lawsuits.
Related:
House Passes ‘Online Sex Trafficking’ Bill That Critics Say Actually Silences Survivors [2/28/18]
House Passes ‘Anti Sex-Trafficking’ Bill Opposed by Both DOJ and Trafficking Survivors [2/28/18]
Well that settles it. The only thing left for the democrats to do now is just legalize prostitution. This is exactly what had to be done over in the UK, and they did it. Successfully.