Louisiana lawmakers pass bill to surgically castrate child sex abusers

Louisiana’s legislature on Tuesday sent Gov. Jeff Landry a measure to be signed into law that would allow the surgical castration of child sex abusers. The bill would allow court-ordered surgical castrations for offenders who commit an aggravated sex crime against a child under the age of 13. Louisiana may be the first state to allow involuntary surgical castrations, according to the National Association for Rational Sexual Offense Laws, or NARSOL.

Don’t other states already allow court-ordered castration? Several states do allow judges to order chemical castration against certain sex offenders, a very different procedure than surgical castration. Chemical castration involves taking hormone blockers to reduce the production of testosterone in male offenders for a period of time. Surgical castration involves the removal of organs to stunt the production of testosterone permanently. The legislation can be applied to both male and female offenders.

NARSOL has pushed back against the bill by questioning the constitutionality and necessity of such permanent procedures. Chemical and physical castration for sexual criminals is ineffective and barbaric, said NARSOL spokeswoman Sandy Rozek. But the law would apply only to offenders committing inexcusable sex crimes, like violating babies, said the bill’s author, Democratic state Sen. Regina Barrow, according to reporting by NBC News.

Who qualifies for the procedure? According to the bill, a court-appointed medical expert must determine that the procedure is appropriate for the offender before the surgery occurs. Offenders may be charged with violating a court order if they fail to appear for the surgery or refuse to consent to it. Offenders convicted of violating an ordered surgery may be imprisoned, with or without hard labor, for 3 to 5 years without the chance of probation, parole, or sentence suspension. The bill reaffirms that surgical castration would not be required unless deemed medically appropriate and would not apply to sex offenders under the age of 17. If the Republican governor signs the bill into law, it would only apply to offenses on or after Aug. 1, 2024.

Dig deeper: Read Juliana Chan Erikson’s report in Relations on trans advocates supporting elective castration as a standard of medical care.