(RepublicanPress.org) – Several states in the US allow chemical castration as a punishment for aggravated sexual offenders — California, Wisconsin, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Oregon, Iowa, Alabama, and Montana. The process involves giving the offenders “testosterone-lowering medications” to lessen the desire to reoffend. Some states even give the option for surgical castration. Louisiana will soon join that fold.
On June 3, the speaker of the state House signed SB371, sending the legislation to Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry (R) to be signed into law. The measure allows the court to sentence certain sex offenders with surgical castration if the victim is under 13 — as long as the rapist meets the conditions. If the criminal is incarcerated, the procedure will be completed before their release back into society. A refusal to have the castration done or if the offender doesn’t show up for the surgery will result in more jail time.
State Senator Regina Barrow (D) introduced the bill in hopes it would stop the crime from happening altogether. At a committee meeting discussing the bill, she said the offense was “inexcusable,” adding, “We are talking about babies.” Still, some state lawmakers said the punishment fell into the “cruel and unusual punishment” category while questioning whether or not the procedure would be an effective deterrent. Others wondered if surgical castration was too harsh for a first offense, to which Barrow replied that a single child is “one…too many.”
If Landry signs the measure, the law could face legal scrutiny. A similar law in Oklahoma was previously challenged in Skinner v. Oklahoma. SCOTUS ruled that the right to procreate was a “fundamental right” under the Fourteenth Amendment, deeming sexual sterilization of repeat offenders unconstitutional.
Either way, sociology Professor Emily Horowitz stated there was no evidence that castration “will have any impact on sexual recidivism.” She believes the new law was brought forth “solely [for] vengeance” and would do little to protect children.
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