Maddie Freeman, Senior
A bill in Alabama has passed through both the state and house legislation and is waiting for the signature of Kay Ivey, the current governor of the state, that would require sex offenders that qualify for parole to undergo chemical castration. According to the Washington Post, the treatment would be mandated by a judge for any sex offender if their victims were under the age of thirteen. The procedures would include taking testosterone-inhibiting medication starting a month before their parole would start (Iati). The medication would be paid for by the offenders and taken until a judge deemed no longer necessary.
The medical community is concerned with the proposed bill for various reasons. Under this jurisdiction, a judge would be dictating to the parolee how to use the medication and how long to undergo the treatment. According to the Washington Post, side effects of the drug can include depression, osteoporosis and anemia. Trent Holmberg, a forensic psychiatrist, stated he did not believe most physicians would agree that a judge telling someone about a medication would suffice for informed consent (Iati).
State Representative Steve Hurst sponsored the bill and has been questioned about whether or not this bill could be deemed inhumane. He stated, “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?” It is still unknown whether the governor will sign the law into place, however there is a signing ceremony scheduled for today.
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