What can only be classified as a no-brainer bill has been sent to the Governor Ron DeSantis‘s desk for signature, which, barring some cataclysmic event, he’s absolutely going to sign. Both the Florida House and Senate voted unanimously to ban “childlike sex dolls” from sale or possession. Sadly, there are groups who actively opposed the legislation on the grounds that banning the dolls “doesn’t actually help children.” We won’t bother to link you the group’s website.
And the bill isn’t about “helping children” anyway, it’s about installing a legal barrier against disgusting behavior. Advocates for these types of items seem to be hoping that continued acceptance of these abominable products might, eventually, turn pedophiles from perverted perpetrators into victims who merely need therapy. But sometimes a decent society just needs to draw a line in the sand. This is one of those laws.
State Senator Lauren Book sponsored the original bill. Her office sent this release today:
A bill banning the sale and possession of childlike sex dolls has passed through the House and Senate chambers and is heading to Governor DeSantis’s desk for signing. Senate Bill 160 was sponsored by Senator Lauren Book (D-Plantation) and gained bipartisan support throughout the process.
“These are anatomically correct, lifelike silicone dolls that are eerily similar to real human children made for the sole purpose of sexual gratification,” says Senator Book. “Just as viewing child pornography lowers the inhibitions of child predators, so do these childlike sex dolls that have no place in the state of Florida.”
Senator Lauren Book – who orchestrated a 42 hour walk in the Capitol rotunda last month in honor of the 42 million survivors of child sexual abuse in the U.S. – first learned about these dolls through her advocacy as Founder/CEO of Lauren’s Kids, her 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation that exists to prevent child sexual abuse and help survivors heal. Congress has considered a nation-wide ban on the dolls, and Canada has one in effect.
“Recently realistic childlike sex dolls have been imported into the United States as mannequins. These dolls are considered by many to be fueling interest in child pornography as well as encouraging child predators,” says House sponsor Representative Mike Gottlieb (D-Davie). “This legislation is an effort to stop the exploitation of children. I thank Senator Book for her help and leadership in passing this important bill.”
And the bill isn’t about “helping children” anyway, it’s about installing a legal barrier against disgusting behavior. Advocates for these types of items seem to be hoping that continued acceptance of these abominable products might, eventually, turn pedophiles from perverted perpetrators into victims who merely need therapy. But sometimes a decent society just needs to draw a line in the sand. This is one of those laws.