Children are innocent, and normally, the whole community gets involved when issues about a child come up. Child molestation may affect the child negatively, and it is no wonder people get shocked whenever this happens. This is why whenever people hear that a child has been molested, they would sooner lynch the perpetrator and ensure the child is safe. We have recently had an intense anti-abortion law was passed in the country, followed by another a few weeks later. Lawmakers in Alabama had proposed a bill in parliament that asked for the chemical castration of sex offenders associated with children under the age of 13 years before their release from prison. Submitted to Governor Kay Ivey, the proposed legislation sits pending her signature. According to the bill, if a child molestation victim is less than 13 years of age, the perpetrator is punished, and we are not just talking about serving jail time. They have to undergo chemical castration, which would ensure the perpetrator’s sexual urges are suppressed. Thus if they are released, they pose no threat to children outside.
As revealed by Fox News, the bill popularly referred to as HB 379 was introduced by Steve Hurst, who is the representative for Republicans. While at WIAT –TV during an interview, Mr. Hurst stated that the punishment should fit the crime, and since they have marked their victims for life, it only fits that they undergo the procedure, which would also mark them for life. He also stated that the bill targets sex offenders 21 years or over who had perpetrated sexual offenses against a child. The bill would ensure that the chemical castration was not only mandatory, but the perpetrator would have to pay for the procedure. If one fails to undergo or pay for the process, they would be taken back to jail in violation of parole and serve out their sentence. A convicted sex offender would have the procedure done on him a month before release from prison. Since it is a gradual procedure, it would continue until the judge decided it was no longer required. The judge and not the doctor are responsible for reading out the effects of the procedure on the offender. Many thought the proposal was drastic and horrifying, but Steve Hurst states that it would be a great motivation to avoid the molestation of children in the country. It would give sex offenders a reason to pause and rethink before they try and act and end up molesting a child.
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The lawmaker has proposed a law of this kind before and has people asking him why he has to propose such harsh laws. A learned man, he returns the question by asking if there is anything even as remotely inhumane as molesting an infant child. They take away their innocence and molest those unable to defend themselves, the vulnerable and weak. He states that if they are ready to talk about an inhumane action, then the victims who have to go through all that know what inhumane means. Allen Treadaway, who is the representative of state, is one of the many who support the bill. However, Raymond Johnson, an Attorney at law, stated that they would challenge the proposed bill. As per the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution, Raymond stated that the bill was unusual and cruel considering the perpetrator had done their time.
