Republican Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has recently signed a bill into law which will require child molesters to undergo chemical castration one month before being released from custody, and will also make sure offenders have to foot the bill for the treatment.
Under the law, offenders “convicted of a sex offense involving a person under the age of thirteen” will have to be chemically castrated a month ahead of release and will also be required to continue treatment “until the court determines the treatment is no longer necessary.” Offenders will also have to pay for the procedure, though a denial of their parole couldn’t be based “solely” on the inability to pay.
Chemical castration is “the receiving of medication, including, but not limited to, medroxyprogesterone acetate treatment or it’s chemical equivalent, which, among other things, lowers, inhibits, or blocks the production of testosterone, hormones, or other chemicals in a person’s body.”
If a given offender selects to halt the treatment, the move will be treated as a violation of parole, forcing the offender to resume their incarceration.
The use of chemical and surgical castration is controversial across the world and has come under fire locally from the Alabama Civil Liberties Union, that have argued that the bill raises constitutional concerns and is akin to unusual and cruel punishment, while violating people’s right to privacy as well.
Randall Marshall, the executive director of ACLU of Alabama, noted that the law misses the mark in preventing child molestation. He stated:
“It certainly presents serious issues about involuntary medical treatment, informed consent, the right to privacy, and cruel and unusual punishment. And, it is a return, if you will, to the dark age. This kind of punishment for crimes is something that has been around throughout history, but as we’ve gotten more enlightened in criminal justice we’ve gotten away from this kind of retribution.”
Several states have various versions of chemical castration laws on the books. California became the first state to pass the chemical castration law in 1996. Georgia, Louisiana, Montana, Oregon, Florida, and Washington also require certain sex offenders to be chemically castrated, while Texas permits repeat sex offenders to undergo surgical castration if they so choose voluntarily.
Caitlin Donovan, a spokesperson for the National Patient Advocate Foundation, has criticized the law too, noting that it might lead to a slippery slope, ultimately having a much farther reach than currently envisioned.
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