Bill banning child-like sex dolls ready for House floor

michael gottlieb
The Senate has already approved its version of the bill.

A bill to ban the sale and possession of “obscene” child-like sex dolls is headed to the House floor after emerging from its final committee Tuesday afternoon.

The legislation (HB 1107), filed by Rep. Michael Gottlieb, was approved by the Judiciary Committee.

A companion measure (SB 160) sponsored by Sen. Lauren Book has already been unanimously approved by the full Senate.

The measures are attempting to target pedophiles, who reportedly use the sex dolls to curb their urges. The sponsors point to research that shows the dolls actually don’t accomplish that goal and can even amplify those urges.

“That is not a cure for anything,” Book argued when she introduced the bill back in December. “The doll just isn’t enough, and then they act out again sexually on children.”

Still, other experts have disagreed with that assessment, arguing against making the dolls illegal.

The House version that advanced Tuesday contains stiffer penalties than its Senate counterpart. While the Senate version considers the sale of these dolls a first-degree misdemeanor, the House bill classifies the sale as a third-degree felony.

Possession of the dolls is also punishable under the bill as a second-degree misdemeanor.

Ryan Nicol

Ryan Nicol covers news out of South Florida for Florida Politics. Ryan is a native Floridian who attended undergrad at Nova Southeastern University before moving on to law school at Florida State. After graduating with a law degree he moved into the news industry, working in TV News as a writer and producer, along with some freelance writing work. If you'd like to contact him, send an email to [email protected].



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