Louisiana rapist to undergo chemical castration aside from 35-year sentence
In Louisiana in the United States, a man who was convicted of raping a girl under 12 will be chemically castrated on top of a 35-year sentence.
Newsweek reported that Ryan Clark, 34, pleaded guilty last March 1 over charges of second-degree rape, molestation of a juvenile under 13, and sexual battery.
The local court also ordered Clark to register as a sex offender for life, never contact his victims, and forfeit all parental rights, and undergo chemical castration upon release.
Chemical castration, Newsweek noted, involves regular injections of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), which suppresses the libido by reducing testosterone levels. The treatment will begin at least a week before Clark's release.
MPA may also be used by women as a form of birth control. It can also be used with other drugs treating menopause symptoms.
Louisiana legalized chemical castration in 2008. The law allows drug treatments to those found guilty of crimes such as molestation of a juvenile, aggravated rape, forcible rape, second-degree sexual battery, aggravated incest, and aggravated crime against nature, as reported by Fox News.
Other states where the procedure is legal include Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Montana, Oregon, Texas, and Wisconsin.
Countries that impose chemical castration on rapists who assault minors include the Czech Republic, Nigeria, South Korea, and Ukraine.
In the Philippines, then-senator Loi Ejercito in 2002 filed a bill seeking to castrate men convicted of rape.
Aside from chemical castration, Ejercito proposed a surgical castration via orchiectomy, in which each testicle would be removed through a small scrotal incision. The bill, however, didn't materialize.
Castration is a contentious topic in general, sparking concerns over human rights violations. It's also deemed by some parties as cruel and barbaric.