A proposed Kentucky law would make it a felony to possess, import or promote child sex dolls

During a committee hearing Thursday, a Kentucky state senator said allowing child sex dolls for “minor-attracted persons” could reduce the likelihood of those people abusing children.

Sen. Karen Berg, D-Louisville, said research she found indicates child sex dolls can give pedophiles a “release,” and prevent attacks on children.

Friday, she released a statement clarifying her position.

“As a mom and a physician, I am of course deeply concerned with the harm of pedophilia and I regret if my question in committee didn’t convey that. I voted in favor of House Bill (HB) 207 to outlaw child-sex dolls, a stance that aligns with my commitment to safeguarding the well-being of our youth and holding perpetrators accountable.”

What was said during the hearing?

In a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Thursday to discuss House Bill 207, Berg referred to a Google search she’d done the previous night, where research on child sex dolls for “MAPS, minor-attracted persons,” suggested it decreased the odds of child abuse. A video of her speaking at the hearing was posted on X, formerly Twitter, prompting multiple reactions.

X user @way2muchJRMC posted the video, saying he was speechless on the matter. “…figured I’d just let @karenforky speak for herself on the topic of “minor-attracted persons” using child sex dolls to satisfy their demonic desires! Holy smokes,” according to the caption.

“For people who are attracted to minors, that these dolls actually decrease their proclivity to go out and attack children, that it actually gives them a release that makes them less likely to go outside of their home,” Berg said in the video.

She continued, saying research didn’t support the same conclusions for adult-attracted individuals.

Berg said while research on the subject is "not very good" and "not comprehensive," it “is conclusive.”

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Kentucky House Bill 207

Berg’s comments came during a Senate Judiciary Committee discussion on House Bill 207, sponsored by Rep. Stephanie Dietz, R-Edgewood, which creates a new set of crimes centered around child sex dolls.

The bill would make possessing a child sex doll a felony punishable by one to five years of imprisonment. It also would make trafficking, importing or promoting a child sex doll all felonies punishable by five to 10 years of imprisonment.

The bill also adds computer-generated images of minors, such as AI-modified images, to Kentucky’s law against viewing and promoting sexual images of minors.

The bill gained unanimous support on the House floor in February before moving to the Senate. Several Democrats have signed on to cosponsor the measure.

The committee, including Berg, ultimately voted unanimously in favor of the bill, which now advances to the full Senate.

Republican Sen. Whitney Westerfield introduced a similar bill in 2019 which had unanimous Senate support but ultimately failed to get a floor vote in the House before the legislative session ended.

Rebecca Grapevine contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky state senator Karen Berg says child sex dolls can prevent offenses