Alabama Governor Signs Bill to Chemically Castrate Child Molesters

Republican Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has signed a bill requiring child molesters to be chemically castrated as a condition of their parole — in addition to any other legal penalties.

The bill was passed by the state legislator last week and signed by the governor on Monday. It states that male offenders whose victims were under 13-years-old be required to “undergo chemical castration treatment in addition to any other penalty or condition prescribed by law.”

The predators will have to take “medroxyprogesterone acetate treatment or its chemical equivalent, that, among other things, reduces, inhibits, or blocks the production of testosterone, hormones, or other chemicals in a person’s body.”

Additionally, the sex offender will be required to pay for their own chemical castration — though they will not be denied parole due to inability to pay.

“Not only did I want it to pass, I want to follow it on through to the future where we can try to improve it. One of the ultimate goals that I want to do is for us to track it and to make sure what medication works for what individuals,” Republican State Rep. Steve Hurst, who sponsored the bill, said of the measures.

The ACLU of Alabama’s Executive Director Randall Marshall has argued that the requirement violate’s the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

However, Hurst told AL.com that many victims of child sexual abuse support the efforts.

“It’s amazing how many phone calls and how many emails I’ve gotten,” Hurst said. “People not just in the state of Alabama but all over the world, things they went through.”

California and Florida are the only states with similar laws, both passed in the 1990s.

 

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