Loneliness. Fear of catching HIV. Kink. No matter the reason for why someone might want to hump a sex doll, the Zambian government is against it. In fact, Zambia's politicians are so horny to put a stop to the import and use of such sex toys that it's become a top shelf political issue.

Zambia's government has always taken a hard line against anything that rubs up against their conservative christian sensibilities. Homosexuality, for example, is punishable with up to 14 years in prison. Law enforcement in the African nation is quick to clamp down on anyone who might dare to step over the line of its ethical norms. As such, you won't find any shops selling sex toys, at least not out in the open. Most of the hardware designed to turn reproductive bits into an amusement park have to be bought online before being discreetly imported into the country.

The logic for keeping adult toys and plastic pleasure partners out of the nation comes from the Bible, according to Godfridah Sumaili. She's Zambia's head of its recently created, totally-not-something-out-of-an-Orwell-novel Ministry of National Guidance and Religious Affairs:

"Being a Christian nation, obviously we are anchored in Christian principles and one of the values is morality and ethics... The use of sex dolls is definitely in contradiction to our natural heritage and our principles. The law actually forbids anybody to trade (in) and to use such objects -- and so this is why we are saying for Zambians that this is a very unnatural thing."

A sex doll rental service in China has shut its doors, at least for the time being, after the novel offering proved controversial. People who want to have sex with a lifeless rubbery replica of a schoolgirl, Wonder Woman, maid, nurse or athlete will have to buy their own.

"We prepared ten dolls for the trial operation," a company spokesperson said via email, adding that they received very positive feedback from users.

"But it's really hard in China," the firm wrote, saying there had been a lot of controversy with the police over the issue.

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Photographer Robert Benson visited the uncanny valley to capture the making of a RealDoll, the $6500 hyperrealistic sex doll first made famous by Howard Stern. His photo series is surreal, provocative, and beautifully odd.

"Everyone was super passionate about what they're doing, and they take the work seriously," Benson told CNN. "I guess the fascination wears off after a week and it becomes like any other job."

See more here: Sex Dolls (NSFW?)

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