ATLANTA — A local woman has joined a push to fight a Sandy Springs, Georgia ordinance that requires residents to obtain a prescription, or provide a medical or scientific reason, to buy a sexual device.
Melissa Davenport, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, filed the suit with attorney Gerry Weber, arguing that the ordinance encroaches on people’s privacy and blatantly violates the Fourteenth Amendment.
Davenport explained to Channel 2 that sex toys ultimately saved her marriage of 24 years, which suffered when she began to lose feeling in her genitals and disrupted their sex life.
“It had started to really tear us apart,” Davenport said. “The nerve pathways interfered with the nerves going to my intimate area to wear I had no feeling.”
“[Some people] have this dirty mind about how people are going to use it,” she said. “People really do need devices because they need it for health reasons and to have a healthy intimate life with their spouse.”
“People have the right to decide for themselves whether these devices help their intimate life, and the government has no business being the bedroom and second guessing that decision,” Weber said.
Davenport said that she is not seeking monetary gain, she only wants the law declared unconstitutional.
Sandy Springs officials would not comment on the allegations because it is considered ongoing litigation. Local in business in January also sued Sandy Springs over the same ordinance. They are expected to file a response in June.