MONTGOMERY, Ala., March 7 (UPI) — A new bill in Alabama would require certain sex offenders be surgically castrated for their crimes, the bill’s author said.
State Rep. Steve Hurst, R-Calhoun County, introduced the bill last week, which proposes anyone over 21-years-old convicted of a sex crime against someone age 12 or younger would be required to be surgically castrated before leaving prison. The offender would also be required to pay for the procedure.
“They have marked this child for life, and the punishment should fit the crime,” Hurst said.
Hurst has introduced a similar bill before and has heard the arguments against it.
“What’s more inhuman, 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 inhuman, that’s inhuman,” he said.
However, Alabamans can’t agree on the issue.
“Somebody that wants to mess with a little girl or little boy that age should be castrated, and they should not be able to mess with any other kids,” Keith Dison said.
State Rep. Napoleon Bracy, D-Mobile County, said, “While everyone agrees that there should be punishment for such a hideous crime; the U.S. Constitution prohibits punishment that is cruel or inhumane,” Bracy said.
The bill will still have to pass the judiciary committee before it’s considered by the Alabama House and Senate.
According to an OLR Research Report published in 2006, eight states allow chemical or surgical castration of sex offenders, including California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Montana, Oregon, Texas, and Wisconsin.
