Source: themarshallproject.org 6/21/25
Critics say there’s no evidence that castration prevents future sex offenses. Yet several states are weighing such measures.
Last year, Louisiana sparked a slew of sensational headlines when state legislators passed a law allowing surgical castration as punishment for people convicted of sex crimes against children. That was the first successful legislation in a new wave of bills proposing both chemical and surgical castration in states such as New Mexico, Mississippi, and South Carolina.
This March, Oklahoma’s House of Representatives passed a bill that would make chemical castration a precondition of parole in sex offenses involving a child under the age of 13. As the bill headed over to the state senate, Republican Rep. Scott Fetgatter made its intent clear, saying, “I will fight for stricter laws against such offenders to better protect our kids.”
But while supporters of these bills echo that cause, many experts say the approach is needlessly cruel and lacks a sound scientific basis.
Castration — both reversible chemical and permanent surgical castration — does lead to the reduction of testosterone and a diminished libido. But “there is literally no evidence that testosterone is the driving factor of individuals committing crimes of a sexual nature,” said Kristen M. Budd, a senior analyst with the Sentencing Project, a research and advocacy organization working to reduce the number of people behind bars in the U.S.
Castration is not a new idea. According to the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, doctors in the U.S. have been using hormone therapy — via off-label use of medications for conditions like prostate cancer — since the 1940s to lower the testosterone in men with “pathological sexual behavior.” Sandy Rozek, the communications director for the National Association for Rational Sexual Offense Laws, told The Marshall Project that she’s occasionally heard from people who want to avoid reoffending that the treatment plans they’ve created with their doctors have included surgical castration. Rozek draws a line between these self-appointed procedures and the criminal justice bills mandating castration as a condition of parole or as a court-ordered punishment.
“If your choice is between 10 more years in prison and castration, that’s not really a choice,” she said. “That’s coercion.”
The coercive nature of the state permanently or temporarily altering a man’s body in exchange for release is what led the courts in Michigan to deem the practice unlawful and experts like Budd to point out its similarity to 20th century eugenics, which resulted in the systematic sterilization of thousands of incarcerated women who were deemed “subnormal.”
Here it is, the famous saying…..
Boyd, who comes from a family with a history of child sexual abuse, emphatically told NPR, “Even if just one rapist changes his mind about raping a child, I will take that.”
Boyd, a Democrat, proves all sides are against us.
I consider all registration and restrictions laws cruel and pointless. Give a lawmaker an inch and they will take a mile making their way to the harshest punishment lines.
Castration = better child protection? Did they miss the child(ren) who were initially impacted by the crime(s) that is leading to this choice or coercion? Are those misses acceptable losses then? Let’s ask Scott about that…kinda sounds like the same thinking for the registry…after the fact when grandstanding is happening.
Good article and well done to @Sandy with the national office for being a part of it with sound thinking where the politicians can’t seem to find any. As we have said in the forum for ages, no one is thinking about the punishment before or during a crime being committed as a deterrent.
See how long that mindset lasts when one of their own is convicted.
Forced genital mutilation should be denounced in ALL forms! We should never aspire to be that kind of country. We already have rightfully harsh laws that punish people who repeat offenses against children. This is unnecessary an cruel. Those with demonstrated uncontrolled proclivities toward deviant sexual behavior can simply be confined. Forced castration policies have all the appearances of seeking revenge, not justice.
Imagine some 18yo accidentally hooking up with a 13yo freshman in high school and having to take this pill for the rest of his life.