Chemical Castration

Chemical Castration

            Chemical castration is quiet different with the term “castration”. It must be underlined that castration that I will explain here is not about removing or depriving the testes or genitals of a person yet it is about chemical injection with hormones that reduce testosterone level, the hormone responsible for libido and sexual urges. Medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) is one of hormones used which is as a female contraceptive. In addition, Depo-Provera is also used as a common birth control pill that containing a synthetic version of the female hormone progesterone. It will act on the brain to inhibit hormones that stimulate the testicles to produce testosterone.

            Chemical castration have been used by several countries to punish pedophiles, such as South Korea, United Kingdom, United States, Russia, Poland and Indonesia which is going to apply chemical castration. I personally do not agree with that decision because chemical castration is dangerous for health and can lead the additional sexual abuse. Besides, it is not clear that a programme of the hormone MPA will definitely reduce sexual reoffending rates, The Straits Times' Andy Ho wrote in 2013. He adds that MPA is no insurance against sexual recidivism and some experts argue that Depo-Provera is ineffective and will not prevent molestation.

            Chemical castration is dangerous for health because it causes depression, fatigue, diabetes and blood clots. It also causes cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis that can be identified by the increasing of body fat and the reduction of bone density. For man, it affects the development of larger than normal mammary glands and the deflation of the breast gland for woman. Just imagine that chemical castration may resolve a problem but there will be new problems.

            Chemical castration will not prevent molestation instead can lead the additional sexual abuse according to some experts. However, Depo-Provera is reversible. If the injection is discontinued, then it will increase the molester’s violent tendency. So, the child molester will renew sexual fantasy and high level of testosterone. Joseph Frank Smith, a convicted child molester, became an advocate for chemical castration after undergoing the therapy in the 1980s. Smith stopped using the injections in 1989. In 1999, he was convicted for molesting a five-year old girl and immediately returned to prison.

            In conclusion, chemical castration is not effective for pedophiles both in my perspective and according to some experts. The reasons are quiet clear that chemical castration cannot eradicate pedophiles instead of creating the new problems. Dead penalty might be the best thing to do to punish pedophiles. That is better than chemical castration which tortures them by various dangerous sicknesses or affects the child molesters to have new sexual fantasy. Dead penalty also equals with the unpardonable fault that they do.