The day after [Inauguration Day](https://mashable.com/article/trump-inauguration-speech-highlights-how-the-internet-reacted), Oklahoma Senator Dusty Deevers rolled out a set of legislative initiatives directed at “restoring moral sanity” within the state, featuring a contentious proposal to outlaw pornography.
The suggested legislation, [SB593](https://oksenate.gov/press-releases/deevers-introduces-slate-legislation-restore-moral-sanity-oklahoma), aims for a complete ban on pornography. If enacted, individuals engaged in the creation, distribution, or ownership of pornographic material in Oklahoma could potentially face a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. This is in line with the objectives outlined in [Project 2025](https://static.project2025.org/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdf), a conservative policy framework for a possible second Trump term, which supports a [national ban on pornography](https://mashable.com/article/trump-divides-adult-content-industry-he-also-might-ban-it) and seeks to penalize its producers.
Oklahoma already enforces an [age-verification regulation](https://mashable.com/article/what-are-age-verification-bills-porn-louisiana-utah) for online access to explicit content. This law mandates that users submit personal details, such as a digital ID, to enter websites where explicit materials make up more than one-third of the content. Consequently, [Pornhub has restricted access](https://mashable.com/article/pornhub-blocked-states-2025) to its site within the state. The legality of such age-verification regulations is currently being examined, with the [Supreme Court having recently heard arguments](https://mashable.com/article/free-speech-coalition-v-paxton-age-verification-hearing), although a ruling is still pending.
The legislation also seeks to impose stiffer penalties for “organized pornography trafficking,” with prison terms ranging from 10 to 30 years. However, it remains uncertain whether this clause directly addresses [sex trafficking](https://mashable.com/article/how-to-help-sex-trafficking-survivors).
In his announcement of the bill, Deevers characterized pornography as “both degenerate material and a highly addictive drug,” asserting that it “ruins marriages, destroys lives, corrupts innocence, distorts perceptions of the opposite sex, objectifies individuals, degrades human dignity, and erodes the moral fabric of society.” He further declared, “Any decent society will oppose this plague with the full force of the law.”
Notwithstanding these claims, “porn addiction” is not classified as a mental disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) due to a lack of sufficient evidence. The [American Psychological Association (APA)](https://www.apa.org/monitor/2014/04/pornography) emphasizes findings that while pornography can be engaged with in a compulsive manner, it does not fulfill the criteria for addiction. Compulsive behaviors related to various activities, such as overeating or shopping, are observed frequently. Another investigation reveals that individuals’ [perceived addiction to pornography](https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fadb0000114) may result in heightened psychological distress over time.
Opponents contend that worries about pornography’s effects on perceptions of sex and relationships highlight the necessity for [comprehensive sex education](https://www.guttmacher.org/sites/default/files/report_downloads/demystifying-data-handouts_0.pdf). This education enhances media literacy, instructing students that pornography is a fantasy not rooted in realistic portrayals of sex, while also offering anatomical insights and nurturing positive attitudes towards relationships. However, the [Trump administration previously weakened sex education initiatives](https://mashable.com/article/trump-sex-education), and the [COVID-19 pandemic further disrupted](https://mashable.com/article/online-sex-education-covid-pandemic) these efforts.
As it stands, only [36 states and Washington, D.C.](https://www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/sex-and-hiv-education) mandate sex education and/or HIV education. Oklahoma requires HIV education but primarily stresses abstinence and does not mandate instruction on healthy relationships, as stated by the Guttmacher Institute, a research entity focused on sexual and reproductive health.
Beyond targeting pornography, the bill seeks to escalate penalties for possession of child sex abuse material (CSAM), increasing the maximum sentence from 20 years to 30 years in prison.
Deevers has put forward several additional bills as part of his legislative agenda, including proposals to abolish abortion, eliminate no-fault divorce, and prohibit Drag Queen Story Hour events.