Alabama lawmaker re-introduces bill legalizing castration for child molesters
A member of the Alabama state legislature is re-introducing a bill that would legalize surgical castration as a punishment for child molesters, and foot them with the bill for the procedure.
The Florence Times Daily reported on Sunday that state Rep. Steve Hurst's (R) proposal would require convicted sex offenders over the age of 21 to be castrated before being released from prison if their victims were 12 years old or younger at the time the crime was committed. The prisoner would also be required to pay for the procedure.
Hurst is re-submitting the bill for the upcoming 2014 legislative session. It did not make it out of committee during the 2013 session.
The Times Daily noted that, according to CNN, nine states have laws permitting forms of chemical castration, a punishment that was criticized by Amnesty International in March 2013 as the practice became more commonplace internationally.
"At first sight, forced chemical castration could be taken as a matter-of-course decision," Amnesty International said in a statement at the time. "However, it is incompatible with human rights, which are the foundation of any civilized democratic society."
Watch a report on Hurst's bill, aired by WFSB-TV on Sunday, below.
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