House changes, OKs castration bill
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Judges would be able to order chemical castrations for convicted rapists and other sex offenders under legislation that cleared the House on Wednesday.
The House voted 69-15 to return Senate Bill 144 to the Senate for concurrence on committee changes that reduced the number of offenders who could be castrated.
However, lawmakers refused to go along with a push by state Rep. Rickey Hardy to order physical castration for convicted sex offenders.
Hardy, D-Lafayette, did not want to give judges a choice in whether a first time offender is castrated.
Under his amendment, offenders would be forced to undergo a physical castration.
“The victim did not agree to get raped,” Hardy said. “This body must send a strong message. Rape will not be tolerated.”
The House disagreed and rejected his amendment.
SB144 would apply to aggravated rape, forcible rape, second-degree sexual battery, aggravated incest and aggravated crimes against nature.
On a first offense, a judge would have the option of ordering injections of medroxyprogesterone acetate, which suppresses a man’s sex drive by reducing testosterone levels.
The injections would be mandatory on a second offense.
The castration treatments would start no later than a week before an incarcerated offender’s release from prison.
Originally, the bill would have applied to a much broader swath of crimes, including simple kidnapping and molestation of a juvenile.
Several lawmakers questioned what would happen if the treatment is incorrectly applied.
“Who is going to be responsible for making a big mistake,” asked state Rep. Barbara Norton, D-Shreveport.
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