House Passes Donovan’s “CREEPER Act” to Ban Child Sex Dolls

Washington, DC—June 13, 2018….Today, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed Congressman Dan Donovan’s legislation to help better protect innocent children from predators. The bipartisan Curbing Realistic Exploitative Electronic Pedophilic Robots (CREEPER) Act will ban the importation and transportation of child sex dolls. Pedophiles buy and sell the lifelike silicone dolls, which resemble children as young as three years old, through online websites and marketplaces. 

Congressman Donovan said, “Right now, a few clicks on a computer can allow a predator to order a vile child sex doll. This is not only disturbing – but also endangers the most innocent among us. 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. We must protect children from those who wish them harm. I thank Chairman Goodlatte and House leadership for bringing this important legislation to the floor, and I implore the Senate to swiftly move it forward.”

Child sex dolls are anatomically accurate renderings of young children, and include “accessories” such as false eyelashes, wigs, warming devices, and cleaning tools. They may also be customized to feature lifelike facial expressions, including sadness and fear. The dolls, which are imported from China, Hong Kong, and Japan, are purposely labeled as mannequins or models to avoid detection in the mail. Recent seizures of these dolls in the United States, UK and other global market places have highlighted the need for legislation to address this disturbing activity. There are currently no laws in the U.S. to prevent the proliferation of child sex dolls.  

Law enforcement agents have said that the purchases of child sex dolls can indicate a history of offenses against children. In fact, of the 128 dolls seized in the UK, 85% percent of the men who imported them were also found in possession of child pornography. Additionally, psychologists and researchers believe that these dolls reinforce, normalize, and encourage pedophilic behavior, potentially putting more children at risk to harm.

Donovan’s proposal has received support from child and ethics advocacy organizations, including Safe Horizon, Stop Abuse Campaign, Stop Child Predators, Foundation for Responsible Robotics, and Campaign Against Sex Robots. A Change.org petition supporting the CREEPER Act has received more than 166,000 supportive signatures.

While similar bans already exist in Australia and the United Kingdom, Donovan’s bill will be the first legislation in the United States to address this alarming problem.  

The bill will now go to the Senate for consideration.

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