By Sarah Ladd

Kentucky Lantern

In a move that Edgewood Republican Rep. Stephanie Dietz said will help “protect our children from predators and exploitation,” the Kentucky House on Monday passed her bill to ban child sex dolls.

House Bill 207 would make it a Class D felony to knowingly own or sell a child sex doll — defined as a doll, mannequin or robot that is intended for sexual stimulation or gratification and that has the features of, or has features that resemble those of, a minor.

The bill also criminalizes the use of artificial intelligence to create child pornography or to create fake images that use real children as the source.

It passed the House 93-0 after no debate and with bipartisan support.

Anyone bringing a child sex doll into Kentucky to sell or otherwise distribute it could be charged with a Class C felony under Dietz’s bill.

In committee, law enforcement experts testified that people who use child sex dolls are at risk of later harming children in real life.

On the floor Monday, Dietz said her bill “closes a loophole that has allowed pedophiles to practice victimization of children” and that “it will save countless children from rape and sexual abuse.”

HB207 can now head to the Senate for a vote. Should the Senate pass it as well, it will go to Gov. Andy Beshear’s desk for a signature or veto.

After the passage, Attorney General Russell Coleman released a statement urging “the Senate to take up this bill without delay so we can immediately protect our children.”

“Today, courageous leaders in the Kentucky House took a unanimous step toward protecting our children from exploitation,” Coleman said. “We must stop this evil here. Law enforcement and prosecutors must have innovative tools to take on criminals who prey on our kids with AI-generated child sex abuse material and sickening child sex dolls. If we don’t, these predators are likely to escalate to the hands-on sexual abuse of children.”