A bipartisan House Bill (HB) is headed to Governor Katie Hobbs’ desk that aims to crack down on a disturbing trend of sex dolls that resemble children.
“Of all the horrible things, I never expected to learn that there are sex dolls made to resemble the likeness of children,” said State Representative Quang Nguyen (R-Prescott), the bill’s sponsor (pictured above).
Under HB 2169, one of these objects is defined as a “doll, mannequin or robot” that has “the features of or features that resemble those of an infant or a child who is under 12 years old” and is “intended to be used for sexual stimulation or gratification.”
Should the bill become law, anyone knowingly possessing a doll matching this is guilty of a class 4 felony. Beyond just having one, anyone who knowingly manufactures, traffics, or sells these dolls can also receive a class 4 felony.
Arizona currently has statutes in place to prosecute the sexual exploitation of a minor. Evidence that can be used in these cases is pornographic images or videos featuring a child or distributing such media. Exploitation of a minor brings a class 2 felony. Under HB 2169, someone who uses a doll created to resemble or use an image of a real child can also be charged with exploitation.
Nguyen said, “These dolls are a gateway to victimizing children, serving no value or purpose other than feeding some individuals’ dangerous desire to molest young children. We live in a civilized nation, and there’s no room for such an extreme perversion to exist – children must be protected.”
Additionally, Arizona is not alone in pushing this law, as Florida, Hawaii, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Utah already have similar measures. Not only did this bill have bipartisan support, but it passed both the House and Senate without any opposition.
✅FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE✅
Arizona State Representative @QuangNguyenAZ's Legislation to Prohibit Child Sex Dolls Sent to @GovernorHobbs for Signature into Law“These dolls are a gateway to victimizing children…we live in a civilized nation, and there’s no room for such an… pic.twitter.com/yGl9N5LHq5
— Arizona House Republicans (@AZHouseGOP) May 15, 2023
Furthermore, Nguyen said that he sponsored this bill in the first place because Pinal County officials found individuals with these objects but have no statutory way to prosecute them unless they owned other explicit materials.
These officials favored the bill during a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting. Randall Snyder, an investigator for the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, says at least three cases involving these dolls have occurred in the county in recent history. Additionally, he shared that these dolls are primarily created in Asian manufacturing facilities and can be shipped into the U.S. through postal services.
Further, Pinal County Deputy Attorney Jim Heard explained that a predator could use a picture of a child to order a specially made doll that reflects the juvenile’s size, weight, and bone structure. Currently, this practice is perfectly legal unless statutes change.
“This is not our attempt to get out ahead of this problem. We’re behind this problem already,” Heard said.
The bill also contains an emergency clause, so if Hobbs signs it, it will go into effect immediately. During the committee meeting, State Senator John Kavanaugh (R-Fountain Hills) said the emergency clause is necessary because otherwise predators and manufacturers could have had an additional few months to purchase and hide dolls before the law became enforceable.
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Neil Jones is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Neil on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Quang Nguyen” by Arizona House Republicans. Background Photo “Arizona State Capitol” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0.
