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Alabama Passes Law To Chemically Castrate People Convicted Of Child Sexual Abuse

Alabama Passes Law To Chemically Castrate People Convicted Of Child Sexual Abuse

People convicted of abusing kids under 13 will have to undergo the procedure.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

People in Alabama will have another incentive not to sexually abuse children (not that they should need one) after lawmakers passed a dramatic bill.

It's yet to be signed in by the Governor but it could make people convicted of molesting children under the age of 13 undergo chemical castration.

State representative Steve Hurst introduced House Bill 379 and told WIAT: "I had people call me in the past when I introduced it and said don't you think this is inhumane?

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey.
PA

"I asked them what's more inhumane than when you take a little infant child, and you sexually molest that infant child when the child cannot defend themselves or get away, and they have to go through all the things they have to go through.

"If you want to talk about inhumane - that's inhumane."

Chemical castration doesn't mean getting rid of a person's genitals but it does render them kind of useless for sex.

They get pumped full of drugs that pulls their testosterone or oestrogen down to levels that are normally seen in kids before they hit puberty. So instead of chopping off their junk, they just don't get sexual urges.

Pixabay

But there are concerns that it doesn't work for everyone.

Forensic psychiatrist Trent Holmberg wrote a paper about the procedure, which said: "Chemical castration is probably a little bit misleading because it really just reduces the hormone levels and it's definitely not a magic bullet to prevent sex offenses.

"The research suggests there are a lot of side effects to giving hormone suppressing medication to men and we don't have a good sense of exactly how common those side effects are and how debilitating and life effecting, but there is potential that it can cause a number of unwanted side effects and that's one of the big concerns."

It's a move that has been celebrated by people across the world, with some celebrating their tough approach to child molesters. Interestingly, it's the same state that just approved America's strictest laws on abortion.

PA

Doctors can now be sentenced to 99 years behind bars for aborting a baby and 10 years for attempting the procedure. Women won't be criminally liable if they get the procedure done.

The measure doesn't even allow women to get an abortion if the pregnancy was started by rape or incest.

The move prompted serious outcry from people because they felt the state was trying to take control of women's bodies.

Featured Image Credit: LithiumP4/Creative Commons

Topics: News