A Kentucky Democrat has sparked backlash online after saying pedophiles should be given child sex dolls as a way to prevent them from abusing kids.
State senator Karen Berg made the comments on Thursday during a committee hearing where lawmakers discussed a bill that would make it a felony to have a sex doll that is styled to look like a child, as reported by Fox News.
‘There are what they call MAPS, Minor Attracted Persons, and the limited amount of research that’s done on these dolls, guys, suggest that they actually – for people who are attracted to minors – that these dolls actually decrease their proclivity to go out and attack children,’ Berg said.
‘That it actually gives them a release that makes them less likely to go outside of their home.’
Despite her comments, Berg voted with the committee to ban the dolls, and the bill is now headed to the full senate.
Kentucky Democrat Karen Berg has sparked backlash online after saying pedophiles should be given child sex dolls as a way to prevent them from abusing kids
During her Thursday remarks, Berg shared that she had Googled child sex dolls the night before and found research saying they could be helpful with pedophile’s ‘proclivities.’
She added: ‘What was interesting, is the research did not support the same conclusions for people who were adult-attracted using dolls.’
Berg’s comments began spreading online after the Republican Party of Kentucky shared a post condemning her.
They wrote: ‘This might be the most disturbing thing you see today. Watch KY Democratic Senator Karen Berg propose Child Sex Dolls for Pedophiles. This type of disturbing proposition has no place in the Commonwealth.’
The bill, HB 207, would also make it a felony to import or promote child sex dolls and include AI-generated images of children in the state’s law against viewing and promoting sexual abuse images of minors.
Following the backlash, Berg issued a statement clarifying her position.
She said: ‘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.’
Berg, whose trans son died by suicide in 2022, is a fierce advocate of LGBTQ rights.
Berg, a physician and professor from Louisville, who spent 30 years practicing medicine before being elected to the state Senate in 2020
The Louisville lawmaker had talked about her son during legislative proceedings as she opposed Kentucky bills that take aim at transgender people, which have increasingly passed in Republican statehouses across the country.
That includes a 2022 law that bars transgender girls and women from participating in school sports matching their gender identity, which applies from sixth grade through college.
Berg said in a statement: ‘On a daily basis at his job Henry would be aware of the hateful and vile anti-trans messaging being circulated around this country and focused at his workplace.’
Berg, a physician and professor from Louisville, who spent 30 years practicing medicine before being elected to the state Senate in 2020.