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. 
 
 ### ||||| Right now, teachers, coaches, babysitters, and neighbors, in every town in America, can purchase lifelike, anatomically correct dolls designed to simulate sex with a child. And it’s perfectly legal. 
 
 These sick dolls are being imported into the United States and other countries. British police have seized more than 100 already in the UK, and authorities have found that the people buying them usually have child pornography too. 
 
 Sign this petition to ban the sale and distribution of child sex dolls! 
 
 These child sex dolls can normalize a pedophile’s behaviors, emboldening them to harm children, as is often the case with those who view child pornography. 
 
 According to the CDC, 1 in 5 children are sexually abused. One child is too many. Our elected officials need to protect children. That’s why Congressman Dan Donovan from New York is introducing legislation that will ban the distribution and sale of dolls that encourage child abuse. 
 
 Show your support for this legislation by signing this petition, and help protect America’s children!
– The concept behind a bill that made its way to the US House of Representatives made at least one lawmaker "nauseous," and apparently others, too, because the group passed the bill Wednesday and sent it onto the Senate. The Fresno Bee reports on the CREEPER (Curbing Realistic Exploitative Electronic Pedophilic Robots) Act, which bans the importation and sale of anatomically correct child sex dolls and robots, objects that can typically be customized to resemble specific children. These dolls "normalize submissiveness and normalize sex between adults and minors," are "intrinsically related to abuse of minors," and lead to "the exploitation, objectification, abuse, and rape of minors," the bill states. Although some experts have said using such dolls might actually cut down on pedophilia, those who voted for the bill disagree. "Once an abuser tires of practicing on a doll, it's a small step to move on to a child," bill sponsor Rep. Dan Donovan says, while fellow House Republican Bob Goodlatte notes the child sex dolls "desensitize the user, causing him to engage in sicker and sicker behavior." A release from Donovan's office reports the UK seized 128 of the dolls, and 85% of the men who imported them were found to have child porn. Goodlatte notes the dolls not only can be made to look like a specific child, they can also be given certain facial expressions, like fear or sadness. More than 166,000 people have signed a petition in support of the ban; the UK and Australia have passed similar laws. "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 says. (An "extreme" pedophile ran amok for decades.)