Apparently, there’s been a child sex robot crisis brewing in America that no one knew anything about until now. Not to fear, though. Congress, which is always anxious to peddle a solution for which there is no corresponding problem, is on it. The bill, which has already cleared the House and is now on its way to the Senate, stands a fair chance of actually becoming law. After all, who in Congress wants to be portrayed by an opponent’s campaign ads as being “soft on child sex robots?”
I don’t even want to contemplate what unintended consequences this ridiculous piece of legislation will bring. For starters, there is zero evidence that child sex robots are actually being imported to the U.S. in any significant numbers. A few companies are certainly attempting to make and market such items, but we shouldn’t mistake their marketing hype for actual sales and imports. In fact, they are probably salivating at the thought of all the free publicity they’re about to get from our nitwit lawmakers. There’s irony for you. By trying to outlaw these things, our elected representatives are practically guaranteeing their commercial success.
Second, even if these little abominations were being imported into the U.S. in any significant numbers (and there isn’t any evidence of that), there’s no evidence whatsoever regarding who’s purchasing them or for what purpose. Sure, we can assume, but if you’re going to pass laws about something like this, shouldn’t you actually have some hard data upon which to base your conclusions? And oh, by the way, we shouldn’t ignore the journalist’s flair in referring to these gadgets as the “child sex robots favored by pedophiles.” Exactly how, pray tell, do we know this? Did they conduct a survey? I’m guessing no.
Finally, there is absolutely no evidence that “child sex robots” will have any effect at all upon the incidence of actual child sexual abuse. It could exacerbate it, but for all we know, it could just as likely reduce child sexual abuse. No one actually knows, because there is no data. None. Nada. Not that a complete lack of understanding or evidence has ever stopped Congress from passing laws about things it knew little or nothing about in the past.
Below is an excerpt from the original article by Tim Johnson at The Fresno Bee:
June 13, 2018: Congress moves to ban child sex robots favored by pedophiles
The U.S. House approved a ban Wednesday on the importation and trafficking of anatomically correct child sex dolls and robots that “normalize sex between adults and minors.”
The proposal was approved in the House by a voice vote and now moves to the Senate.
“These dolls can be programmed to simulate rape. The very thought makes me nauseous,” said House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, a Virginia Republican.
“Once an abuser tires of practicing on a doll, it’s a small step to move on to a child. My bill takes necessary steps to stop these sickening dolls from reaching our communities,” said Rep. Dan Donovan, a New York Republican who sponsored the legislation.
The child sex dolls are imported from China, Hong Kong, and Japan, often labeled as mannequins or models to avoid seizure by authorities. No current U.S. law specifically bans the importation and sale of the sex dolls.
Sex robots are increasingly lifelike, composed of silicon flesh-like material, some with basic artificial intelligence that allow conversations based on moods.
The bill is called the CREEPER Act, which stands for Curbing Realistic Exploitative Electronic Pedophilic Robots Act.”
The proposal says the obscene dolls and robots “are customizable or morphable and can resemble actual children. … The dolls and robots normalize submissiveness and normalize sex between adults and minors.”
Goodlatte said he was “distraught” that the problem of child sex dolls even exists.
“I am saddened that there are people in this world who would create realistic child sex dolls and distraught that there are people in this world who would buy them,” Goodlatte said.
“Customers can order bespoke dolls, providing pictures of specific children they would like the doll to resemble. They can indicate a preferred facial expression such as sadness or fear,” he said.
A change.org petition in support of the CREEPER Act has received more than 166,700 signatures.
The rate of child sexual abuse in the United States is difficult to determine because it often goes unreported. The Department of Health and Human Services has found nearly 3 million cases referred to agencies for investigation of child abuse annually, and believe that more than 8 percent involved sexual abuse.
A smattering of social scientists say the child sex dolls may reduce pedophilia but Goodlatte said there is no scientific literature to support that view.
“To the contrary, these dolls create a real risk of reinforcing pedophilic behavior and they desensitize the user causing him to engage in sicker and sicker behavior,” Goodlatte said.
Child sex dolls are one niche of a nascent robotic sex industry that has generated debate about the ethics of the use of lifelike machines for sexual activity. It is a subject that turns from squeamish to outright revulsion for many when it touches on child sex dolls and robots. (More…)
The Registry Report 