Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) has signed a law that requires chemical castrations for felons who committed sex crimes against children under the age of 13.
According to the Associated Press, the castration would occur before their parole. A judge, not a doctor, would decide when the procedure could be stopped; or, the convict can decide to stop the procedure and serve out the rest of his term in prison.
According to the Washington Post, the procedure is actually not castration, but a temporary testosterone inhibitor: it is reversible, does not prevent men from having children and does not definitively eradicate a man’s sex drive. And, as sexual desire is often not the only motivator for those driven to commit sex crimes, it could be limited in its effectiveness.
