|
The bill, which was overwhelmingly passed by the state
legislature on Monday, would permit judges to order surgical
castration for defendants convicted of certain aggravated sex
crimes, such as rape, against children under the age of 13. It
will now go before Governor Jeff Landry, a Republican.
Landry's office did not immediately respond when asked whether
he intends to sign the legislation.
A handful of states, including Louisiana, California and Texas,
already have laws that give judges the power to order chemical
castration in some cases, a less intrusive measure that involves
taking hormone-blocking medication.
But Louisiana would be the first state to allow judges to impose
surgical castration as a penalty, according to the National
Association for Rational Sexual Offense Laws (NARSOL), an
advocacy group that opposed the bill.
The bill requires a determination from a court-appointed medical
expert that a defendant is an "appropriate candidate for
surgery" before a judge can order the procedure.
Opponents argue the punishment is cruel and note that surgical
castration, unlike chemical castration, is irreversible.
"It is, at best, ineffective and, at worst, barbaric," Sandy
Rozek, a spokesperson for NARSOL, said in a statement.
While the legislation drew most of its support from Republicans,
who dominate the Louisiana legislature, it was introduced by
Senator Regina Barrow, a Democrat.
"I want to make sure that our kids are safe," she said at a
hearing last month.
(Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Leslie Adler)
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
