US: Chemical castration signed into law in Alabama

By Dildar Baykan

NEW YORK (AA) – The U.S. state of Alabama is now requiring sex offenders convicted of crimes involving children under age 13 to begin chemical castration before they go on parole from prison.

Signing the bill into law late Monday, Republican Governor Kay Ivey called it “a step toward protecting children in Alabama.”

Under the measure, offenders will receive medication which blocks the production of testosterone a month before they are released from prison.

The castration blocks sexual interest and makes sexual acts impossible. The offender must pay for the drug treatment, which is reversible if the person stops taking it.

Failure to take the drugs would be a parole violation, resulting in the offender going back to prison.

Several U.S. states -- such as California and Florida -- have similar laws.

* Writing by Nilay Kar Onum