Two good bills addressing the issue of sex trafficking will be heard in committee Tuesday, February 16. Lisa Gennaro, Concerned Women for America of South Dakota Legislative Liaison and member of the West River Sex Trafficking Task Force, testified on SB126 Thursday, February 11. The final vote in committee will be Tuesday, February 16, along with consideration of SB148.

SB126 will establish the crime of possession, manufacturing, or distribution of obscene dolls. Child sex dolls can lead to sexual desires with live children and then abuse and traffick them. Manufactures of child sex dolls may argue that dolls offer a safe outlet for “urges” that would otherwise be carried out on living children. This argument is ridiculous! According to Peter Fagan from John Hopkins School of Medicine, these dolls encourage abuse of real children. Let’s keep this state grounded in morals and decency and protect our children.

SB148 will establish the crime of torture of a human trafficking victim and provide a penalty therefor. SB148 will make it a Class 2 felony for torture, pain, or mental pain inflicted upon any person. Victims of human trafficking suffer from the time they are coerced and abused into doing acts for their handler. Human trafficking takes a person’s dignity and freedom away. The handler needs to be held accountable for their actions.

ACTION:  Contact your state senator and ask him or her to support SB148 and SB126.

CONTACT INFORMATION: Call the Senate lobby at (605) 773-3821. You may email your senator here. If you do not know who your senate is, click here. If you are a member of Concerned Women for America of South Dakota, be sure to let them know. 

PRAYER: Father, we ask that You protect victims of the crime of sexual abuse from further harm and them deliver them from their captors. Let them know that they are created in Your image and that You love them.  We pray that those who do this evil against humanity will be deeply convicted and cease their crime.

Linda Schauer
State Director