SARASOTA, Fla - The Democratic state senator who authored Florida's law banning child sex dolls on Wednesday endorsed Congressman Vern Buchanan's bill to outlaw the dolls in all 50 states.
State Sen. Lauren Book, D-Hollywood, spoke with Buchanan and his staff about the issue on Wednesday and expressed strong support for taking the ban nationwide. Buchanan's bill, the CREEPER Act 2.0, would do just that.
"These anatomically correct, lifelike silicone dolls are eerily similar to real human children made for the sole purpose of sexual gratification," Book said. "Just as viewing child pornography lowers the inhibitions of child predators so too do these childlike sex dolls -- putting children's safety at risk."
Book added "What happens when the doll is no longer enough? I support Congressman Buchanan's CREEPER Act 2.0 to expand the ban on the sale and possession of childlike sex dolls throughout all 50 states -- these dolls have no place in our communities."
Book was the author of a Florida law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis last year that made it illegal to sell or own the lifelike sex dolls. Experts agree that the dolls are dangerous because they "normalize" pedophilia and encourage sexual assaults against real children. Peter Fagan, a researcher from John Hopkins School of Medicine stated that child sex dolls have a “reinforcing effect” on pedophilic ideation and “in many instances, cause it to be acted upon with greater urgency.”
Buchanan welcomed Book's support and praised the senator for her commitment to protecting children. "I have tremendous admiration for Ms. Book," Buchanan said. "Nothing is more heinous than crimes against innocent and defenseless children."
The Sarasota-based human trafficking prevention group, Selah Way Foundation also endorsed Buchanan’s bill. The group’s President, Elizabeth Fisher said, "I support this bill and applaud Congressman Buchanan's efforts. Our country needs to put our children's safety and welfare first. Permitting the manufacturing and sale of child sex dolls condones pedophilia fantasies and allows them to get one step closer to abusing a real child."
Buchanan modeled his CREEPER (Curbing Realistic Exploitative Electronic Pedophilic Robots) Act 2.0 in part after Florida's law. The original CREEPER Act introduced in Congress in 2017 banned the transportation and importation of child sex dolls but languished in the U.S. Senate. Buchanan's updated version adds language from the Florida law that also makes it illegal to sell or possess the dolls. Florida, Tennessee and Kentucky are the only states that currently ban the dolls.
Buchanan said he decided to introduce the bill after reading reports last week that an 8-year-old girl’s image was replicated in a sex doll and was being sold on the internet. NBC-TV in Miami broke the story. Buchanan spoke with the child’s mother, who was horrified and concerned for the safety of her daughter.
Buchanan, co-chair of the Florida congressional delegation, has a long record fighting human trafficking and child exploitation. Last year, Buchanan introduced the Human Trafficking and Exploitation Prevention Training Act to combat human trafficking by educating students about the rapidly spreading crime. Buchanan also chaired Florida delegation hearings on human trafficking earlier this year and in 2017. Also in 2017 Buchanan wrote a column on the growing problem of human trafficking in Florida. In 2014, Buchanan co-sponsored the End Sex Trafficking Act to help law enforcement detect, investigate and prosecute sex trafficking predators in the U.S.
