Louisiana lawmakers approve bill to allow surgical castration of child sex offenders

A bill that would allow people convicted of sex crimes with victims under the age of 13 to be surgically castrated has been approved by Louisiana legislators.

SB 371 overwhelmingly passed by lawmakers Monday on the final day of the legislative session and will now go to Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry for consideration, the Daily Advertiser, part of the USA TODAY Network reported. It has not yet been signed or made into law.

The bill was authored by Sen. Regina Ashford Barrow, D-Baton Rouge.

Louisiana is one of a few states that already has laws giving judges power to order chemical castration in some cases, Reuters reported. But if this law is passed, it would make Louisiana the first state to allow judges to impose surgical castration as a penalty.

Here's what to know about the bill.

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How would it be enforced?

The bill gives judges the option to assess the penalty against people convicted of aggravated rape, aggravated crime against nature or aggravated incestuous crime.

Any surgery would be conducted inside the prisons by a doctor supplied by the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, and the court would have to find the defendant to be suitable for castration at least 60 days before treatment.

Under the bill, failure to submit to the court order of castration would carry with it a 3-5 year prison term on top of any other prison sentence imposed.

The bill also notes that castration would not be done if it were contraindicated medically in any way.

What does surgical castration mean?

Also known as an orchiectomy, surgical castration is a procedure to remove one or both testicles and will permanently reduce the level of testosterone in the body, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It is used to treat and prevent testicular cancer, prostate cancer and male breast cancer.

Unlike a chemical castration, a surgical castration is permanent and cannot be reversed.

What is chemical castration?

Chemical castration is also sometimes called medical castration and involves using chemicals or drugs to stop sex hormone production, the Cleveland Clinic says.

While it is used in some states including Louisiana as a punishment for sex offenders, it can also be used as a treatment for tumors including for breast cancer and prostate cancer.

Contributing: Reuters; Jordyn Wilson, The Daily Advertiser