Congress May Ban Child Sex Robots - As Expert Suggested

WASHINGTON - March 15, 2018 - PRLog -- Sex robots [sexbots], already so realistic that they are favored over female prostitutes by many males visiting conventional brothels, now are coming to the U.S. where they might be bought outright or used by the hour at cyber brothels, since their use is apparently limited in only one state, says public interest law professor John Banzhaf, who has long called for congressional hearings.

        Now it appears that such hearings will finally be held, and those sexbots which look and act like children - and are capable of being programmed to simulate receiving pleasure or being raped - may be banned, as they already have been in the United Kingdom, says Banzhaf.

        Banzhaf and others have expressed concern that such lifelike sexbots can serve as a stepping stone towards actual child rape by permitting those who are unsure about the desires to try them out, perhaps on a per-hour basis at a local and perfectly legal cyber brothel.

        As the Foundation for Responsible Robots suggests, these sex dolls "could be more like a gateway drug."  It has also been suggested that the unchecked availability of such child sexbots could shift society's norms to make pedophilia more socially acceptable.

        As the Stop Abuse Campaign puts it, "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."

        Congressman Dan Donovan [R-NY] introduced a bill known as the Curbing Realistic Exploitative Electronic Pedophilic Robots (CREEPER) Act after he learned that these sexbots were coming into the U.S., and that the UK had already banned their possession or production.

        Banzhaf has been calling for hearings on this issue for years, including appearances on major TV programs and at a major conference in Europe, as well as in conventional media.

        While some have suggested that the child sex dolls might be used to treat known pedophiles, and might perhaps be used to permit them to satisfy their urges in a way which doesn't endanger a child, the evidence to support this is sparse.

        This is all the more reason to hold hearings promptly, says Banzhaf, who notes that any such use would have to be carefully restricted to medical professionals under very strict supervision.

        "Today anyone can buy a dozen or more sexbots - including those designed to look and behave like young children - and rent them out for use by the hour in a cyber brothel; a venture which appears to be perfectly legal in most states because it does not involve humans offering sex for sale," says Banzhaf.

        Potential perverts, young curious college students, and others could see if they enjoy having sex with children for a nominal per-hour rate, with perhaps disastrous consequences, warns Banzhaf.

JOHN F. BANZHAF III, B.S.E.E., J.D., Sc.D.
Professor of Public Interest Law
George Washington University Law School,
FAMRI Dr. William Cahan Distinguished Professor,
Fellow, World Technology Network,
Founder, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH),
2000 H Street, NW, Wash, DC 20052, USA
(202) 994-7229 // (703) 527-8418
http://banzhaf.net/  jbanzhaf3ATgmail.com  @profbanzhaf