Pakistan: Op-ed points out flaws in Chemical Castration
Using hormonal drugs to reduce sexual violence recidivism is known as chemical castration.
In 1996, California became the first state in the United States to authorize the use of either chemical or surgical castration for certain sex offenders who were being released from prison into the community. This legislation was extremely controversial at the time; however, eight additional states have subsequently passed laws that provide some form of castration for sexual offenders under consideration for parole or probation.
- a clear cause-and-effect relationship between testosterone levels and sexual offending remains uncertain.
- chemical castration is potentially life-long for some offenders
- Social problems include that chemical castration may not guarantee human rights for involuntary cases performed without the informed consent of the sexual offender, and thus may be regarded as only punishment and not treatment.
- chemical castration may have serious side effects, including osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and impaired glucose and lipid metabolism.
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There’s also the fact that it’s considered torture under international law, pursuant to a treaty the United States has ratified: https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/cat.aspx