Peers vote to ban pornography depicting sex acts between stepfamily members

Summary

The government has agreed to ban the production of pornography depicting sex acts between stepfamily members following a vote in the House of Lords.The government tabled an amendment calling for step-incest to be included in a ban on harmful content, with the support of the Conservative peer Gabby Bertin, who led a review into pornography regulation that was published last year.The ban is one of several that have been proposed by the government, including last year’s criminalisation of material depicting women being choked.Some ministers had opposed the amendment and suggested the new ban would have been difficult to implement because, under the law in England and Wales, it is not illegal for adults who are step-related to engage in a sexual relationship.Speaking after the ban was agreed on Friday, Lady Bertin said: “I greatly welcome the government’s plans to fully address harmful pornographic content, such as incest, step-incest and the mimicking of child sexual abuse.“This content that is freely and widely available online is deeply harmful, normalising child sexual abuse and abusive relationships within families.“Today the government has answered our calls for change, and I am delighted that once again the UK is leading the way on regulating this high-harm industry.”Gabby Bertin’s amendment was passed by a single vote. Photograph: Martin Godwin/The GuardianThe amendment was narrowly passed, with 144 voting in favour and 143 against. Once the law comes into effect, anyone found to posses or publish pornography which shows incest between family members, or sex between step- or foster-relations where one person is pretending to be under-18, will be criminalised, with publication carrying a maximum penalty of two to five years’ imprisonment, depending on the severity of the content.Alex Davies-Jones, the minister for victims and tackling violence against girls, said: “I’ve sadly heard far too many devastating stories from victims and I know we need change now.“Tackl...