ANN ARBOR, MI—Calling the incident a tipping point in the argument for reform, legal experts told reporters Wednesday that current uproar over the Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking scandal may lead to legislators outlawing pedophilia. “We’re seeing a lot of public pressure right now for Congress to finally act on an explicit prohibition of adults having sex with kids since Epstein’s arrest brought the topic back into the spotlight,” said University of Michigan law professor Edward Carmine, echoing the speculation of many legal scholars across the country who agree that the impending prosecution of the billionaire financier accused of sex trafficking dozens of minors could lead to a nationwide ban on the practice of sexually abusing children. “It’s always been a societal taboo, of course, but enacting real legislation has never been a realistic goal until now. Countries like Canada and Britain successfully outlawed pedophilia a few years ago, so it seems natural for the U.S. to follow in their footsteps, and this case could be just the nudge needed to make it happen.” Carmine added that any possible law passed would probably still contain religious exemptions for the Catholic Church.